Pollution To Impact India vs South Africa 5th T20I? A Look At Ahmedabad AQI Levels

The fourth T20I between India and South Africa in Lucknow had to be called off after a wait of three hours on Wednesday, with 'excessive fog' cited as the reason by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Once the match was abandoned, questions were raised regarding the poor air quality at the venue. Concern regarding the same has also been raised ahead of the fifth T20I, which will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. But how exactly is the air quality in Ahmedabad?

According to aqi.in, the Air Quality Index (AQI) at Ahmedabad read 162 at 11:00 AM IST on Friday morning, eight hours before the scheduled start time of the fifth T20I (7:00 PM IST). This ranks in the 'Unhealthy' category.

However, it is expected to get better as the day wears on. According to iqair.com, the AQI at Ahmedabad will drop to 114 at 6:30 PM IST, which is the time of the toss.

While this ranks in the 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups' category, the match should still be able to take place.

As per the forecast, the AQI is expected to further drop to 109 by 7:30 PM. This is significantly better than how it was in Lucknow on Wednesday.

On the other hand, rain is also not supposed to interfere with proceedings during the match. According to AccuWeather, there is no chance of rain throughout the evening at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

The fifth T20I is the final game of South Africa's tour of India. The visitors shocked the hosts to clinch a 2-0 Test series win, but India bounced back to win the ODI series 2-1.

With one game to go, Suryakumar Yadav-led India lead 2-1 in the T20I series, and will be eager to secure series victory.