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Tharoor urges BCCI to shift matches to South India

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor urged the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) to organise cricket matches scheduled for North India to South India, pointing out there is "no visibility issue" during winters in that region.

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The fourth T20I of the five-match series between India and South Africa was abandoned due to excessive fog at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday. India is leading the T20I series 2-1, with one more match to go. Tharoor questioned the logic behind scheduling matches in North India during this time of the year, saying, "They can come and play in South India, as there is no issue of pollution. There is no visibility issue, and fans can enjoy the match as well. Why should matches be scheduled in North India during this time of the year? Rather, they should be scheduled in South India."

BCCI to review scheduling in North India

Earlier, speaking to ANI, BCCI VP Rajeev Shukla had said, "The match had to be cancelled due to fog. The people were upset about it. We will need to review the scheduling of matches between 15 December to 15 January in north India to determine whether we need to shift them to south India or west India. Domestic matches are also being affected due to fog. It is a serious issue".

Upcoming Cricket Schedule

Notably, the window from December 15 to January 15 will witness domestic competition, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a 50-over tournament, taking place from December 24 onwards to January 18, with Jaipur being one of the venues for the tournament.

The final T20I between India and South Africa will be held on Friday in Ahmedabad. The ODI series between India and New Zealand, during which one-day only stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be in action, will also take place from January 11 onwards, with matches scheduled in Vadodara, Rajkot and Indore.

Team News: Axar Patel Ruled Out

Ahead of the fourth T20I, Indian all-rounder Axar Patel was ruled out of the remaining T20I series against South Africa due to illness, the BCCI said on December 15. In place of Axar Patel, the BCCI Men's Selection Committee named Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement for the remaining T20I matches against South Africa.

Squads

Squads: South Africa Squad: Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram(c), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Tony de Zorzi, Lutho Sipamla, Kwena Maphaka

India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah. (ANI)