Sri Lanka might have stressed on Delhi pollution to break Kohli’s rhythm, says Bharat Arun

INDIA BOWLING COACH Bharat Arun slammed the Sri Lanka cricketers for protesting to halt play on the second day of the third Test, due to poor air quality caused by smog in Delhi. 

Arun stated that skipper Virat Kohli batted in the same weather for two days and did not require an anti-pollution mask, whereas, the entire Lankan team wore masks during the post-lunch session. The former Tamil Nadu-paceman made it clear that his side is not too worried about pollution. As reported by PTI, he said that visitors may have stressed on pollution to break Kohli’s rhythm.

"I think pollution is everywhere in our country. This pollution levels are serious in our country. I don't think we were too worried about pollution. The BCCI scheduled this matches and our job is to get the best out of our team. Focus is more on that. They wanted to probably stress upon the pollution part and our focus was totally different. It could have broken his (Kohli) rhythm. Yes, but at that point, we had to move on and Ravi had to go into the field and tell the umpires to get on with the game.”

Kohli batted seven and a half hours and struck a career-best-243 before being dismissed by Sandakan. Arun showered praise on the Delhi-lad and added,

"Virat batted close to two days. He did not need a mask. We are focussed on what we need to do. The conditions are the same for both teams and we are not too bothered about it. His absolute focus is one thing and attention to detail is the key. In terms of fitness and game preparation, he is spot on. He is an example of what you need to be as a cricketer."

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