The fourth T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned due to there being excessive fog at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Dense fog inside the ground created a thick shroud over the field and this reduced visibility down to a level where playing a match with a white-ball proved to be impossible. Even the floodlights in the stadium proved to be completely ineffective against the haze.
Match was called off after multiple inspections
After several delays and pitch inspections, the match was eventually called off with the conditions at the stadium not getting any better as the time passed. This led to sharp criticsm against the BCCI's Tours and Fixtures Committee, who decided to hold the game in northern part of India where heavyu fog is a recurring issue during winters.
However, Shailendra Sharma, who is a coach at the KD Babu Singh Stadium in Lucknow, listed factors other than fog that led to the cancellation of the match. In an exclusive chat with Sports Tak, Shailendra pointed out that multiple players could have suffered injuries if the match would have gone ahead as they wouldn't be able to gauge the movement of the ball properly due to the fog.
He further said that with the visibility being poor, players won't be able to see the ball properly when thrown from the boundary rope which once again increases the chance of injury. The conditions were already difficult for the players due to the winters, but they only got worse with the fog. Even Varun Chakravarthy was left stunned by the harsh conditions at the stadium.
"I've never played at a ground this cold, so I did find it quite challenging,” Chakravarthy said.
Series slips away from South Africa
Meanwhile, South Africa were dealt a major blow with the 4th T20I being abandoned as all their chances of winning the series vanished into thin air. With them already being 2-1 behind in the assignment with just one match remaining, the best that the Proteas can do is come out on top in the fifth game and draw the series. That won't be an easy thing to do for them as India are in top form and will be looking to continue their phenomenal record in T20Is by sealing the series in the final match that will be held on December 19 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.