The air quality in Delhi remained "very poor" on Tuesday leading to visiting Sri Lankan seamer Suranga Lakmal going off the ground after vomiting on the fourth day of the third and final test match being played at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi.
The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar) recorded an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 372 for the national capital, labelling it as "very poor".
On the whole, the Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) in the city was also recorded as "very poor"-- the fine particles are considered a prominent cause of lung infections and other breathing problems.
The level of PM 2.5 was recorded at "very poor" at all ten monitoring stations of Safar across the city and neighbouring areas.
The Sri Lankan pacer had bowled only three overs when he was seen vomiting on the field, prompting the physiotherapist to run to the field. After consultation, he went off the ground.
Similar complaints were made by the Lankan test players on Sunday while fielding before they left the ground halting the game before lunch time.
The players wore masks while fielding after the lunch session on the second day.
Several Sri Lankan players were spotted wearing pollution masks while fielding. The high pollution levels and deteriorating air quality was clearly making things difficult for players, particularly pacers Lahingu Gamage and Suranga Lakmal. Both of them struggled to bowl, after which the umpires stopped the game to discuss their health concerns.
The break was called for as Gamage started coughing while bowling. Following a discussion with the captains, the umpires and match referee instructed the medical team to check the players’ health.
After a 20-minute break, the game resumed only to be stopped after 10 minutes as a distressed Gamage again left the pitch for a medical check-up.