The Sri Lankan team did not deny that a doctor was called upon by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) with due permission from ICC Match referee, David Boon, to do a medical check up of the Lankan player who have been feeling the brunt of high pollution levels prevailing in New Delhi but added that his presence did not change the fact that conditions put players'health at risk.
Dr. A.P. Bhalla was called from All India Institute Of Medical Sciences to do a medical check up of struggling Lankan players around Lunch Time. He carried out pulse-oximetry tests on few Lankan players. Speaking to the media after the match, Sri Lanka's interim coach Nic Pothas, when asked about the medical tests said, “There were some tests done, I have no idea what they were. I don't have to tell you about what we saw at the end of today, when Shami was also struggling. The guys did superbly well to deal with the situation. A situation is a situation, so lets get on with it and the guys did fantastically well throughout the day. I am not a doctor and I have no idea what these tests will tell you or what we were testing or why were we testing, and it doesn’t make anything get away.”
The Lankan coach revealed that the team had made a “pact” that no matter what the conditions, the team would go out and do the “job.”
“The bottom line is that we are here to play a Test match, there is a professional bunch of people in our dressing room and we are very positive about our talks, about the way we behave and the way we adapt to certain situations. We decided at practice this morning that we are not going to discuss it and not going to talk about it. The situation is what it is, you get out there do the job,” said Pothas.
But he still underlined the fact that his players were struggling in the field with the high level of pollution prevailing in Delhi. “Our people are in discomfort, it speaks for itself. The rest we cannot control and there is no use talking about it.”
Pacer Suranga Lakmal threw up after the sixth over of the day, bringing back the focus on playing conditions. The visitors came out wearing masks to indicate the difficulties they were facing while out to field, with the high pollution levels.
The condition wasn't easy for the Indian team either. Pace spearhead Mohammed Shami vomited in the field after snapping the wicket of Sadeera Samarawickrama with a nasty short ball. He had revealed that he was struggling with a mild cold before the Test match itself.
Indian team opener Shikhar Dhawan was outrightly asked whether the Lankans were exaggerating the whole situation. Accepting that pollution was a grave issue, he sympathised with the Lankans who were finding the conditions difficult. “May be they are uncomfortable. May be there is less pollution in Sri Lanka. There are more beaches in Sri Lanka. It’s natural that a city surrounded by beaches won’t have pollution. Of course they may be feeling. As I said, I won’t hide that there is pollution in Delhi. Now if it’s there, it’s there. Can’t help it. May be they are feeling it more, I don’t know. But still I would insist that we should do our duty, that is to play cricket,” said Dhawan echoing Indian team management's stated position that the players were professional and had to get on with their job despite the “risky” conditions. “When you are playing for your country, you have to do your job,” added Dhawan
