Ranji Trophy 2017-18: Goa set to take on Services under a blanket of smog in Delhi

Service’s game against Goa at Palam could be affected due to thick smog prevailing in the capital. (Source: PTI)

Smog in the National Capital Region has made any sort of outdoor activity hazardous. But that doesn’t seem to have affected the Ranji Trophy game between Services and Goa, scheduled at Palam from Thursday.

This time last year, the match between Bengal and Gujarat, scheduled at the Feroz Shah Kotla, was cancelled due to severe air pollution and dense smog in the Capital, which was not expected to clear over the subsequent few days. Another match, between Hyderabad and Tripura at the Karnail Singh Stadium could not continue after the first day’s play due to the same reason. But the Services-Goa match seems to be going ahead as of now.

“Both teams had full practice sessions ahead of the game, and nobody made any mention of the weather conditions. The match is taking place on schedule,” Services curator Ashok Kumar Varma told The Indian Express on the eve of the match.

The Goa team management felt the conditions were not ideal, but insisted nobody had expressed any health worries going into the match.

“Coming from Goa, we feel the smog but none of our players had any concerns. No one said anything about breathing trouble or burning eyes. We had two very good sessions ahead of the match and are well prepared,” coach Prakash Mayekar told The Indian Express.

“When we landed here, we thought this is how it always is in Delhi. We had the customary meeting between the match referee and the captains and managers of both teams and as far as I know, no such issues were raised. In any case, we spend our time at either the ground or the team hotel nad don’t venture anywhere else. Hence, we don’t have much idea about the whole problem.”

The Ranji Trophy Group D encounter comes at a precarious stage of the season for both teams. Goa and Services are propping up the points table, with two and one points respectively. But with three of the five teams above them having played a game more, both need an outright result to stay in contention for the knockout rounds. Especially since the two matches that were abandoned last year due to pollution and smog were never played again and the teams concerned had to be satisfied with a point each.