“Rohit Sharma expresses concern about playing in Mumbai amid rising AQI levels ahead of World Cup match against Sri Lanka,” news agency PTI reported.

This comes a couple of days after Sharma, while arriving in Mumbai for the match, expressed shock on seeing the city’s polluted skyline from the flight.

“Mumbai, yeh kya ho gaya (what has happened)?” the ace batter wrote on Instagram, as he shared visuals of smog engulfing the city.

Notably, Sharma is a native of Mumbai, and has played cricket across the city from an early age. He represented the Mumbai Ranji team throughout his domestic first-class career, and also leads the city-based franchise team of Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Over the past three weeks, Mumbai’s AQI has ranged from between 150 (moderate) to 411 (severe). At 8 pm on November 1, the AQI was measured at 208 (poor) at the Colaba observatory, as per the data shared by the Central Pollution Control Board.

Taking cognisance of reports related to the poor air quality in the city, the Bombay High Court has initiated a suo motu PIL. The Indian Express reported on October 31 that government bodies have been asked to list out their plan of action to address the issue.

The HC bench, led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, has asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to respond with the steps taken by them, the newspaper said.

Meanwhile, Sharma is not the first cricketer to express concern over Mumbai’s AQI amid the ongoing World Cup. Earlier, English batter Joe Root said that he felt like “eating air” in the city. 

“I’ve not played in anything like that before. I’ve obviously played in hotter conditions, and probably more humid conditions. But it just felt like you couldn’t get your breath. It was like you were eating the air. It was unique,” the Hindustan Times quoted Root as saying.

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Updated: 01 Nov 2023, 08:51 PM IST