ICC World Cup 2023: England Players Forced To Use Inhalers To Deal With Alarming Air Pollution In Indian Cities

During their stay in India for the ongoing ICC World Cup, England cricketers have been using inhalers to cope with the high levels of air pollution in the Indian cities.

A recent viral picture of Ben Stokes using an inhaler during a training session elicited various reactions from fans. And while the fans used the opportunity to come up with some memes, the England camp has stated that it is struggling with the air pollution in the Indian cities. According to British news outlet ‘I’, some of the England cricketers were forced to take inhalers, usually used by people suffering from Asthma.

While Stokes was using the inhaler during England’s stay in Bengaluru for the match against Bengaluru, the pollution level in other cities such as Delhi and Mumbai is also very alarming. India captain Rohit Sharma expressed his shock at the pollution level in Mumbai by taking a photo of the sky from his flight, while Delhi has been grappling with this issue for years.

Rohit even talked about the issue before the match against Sri Lanka on Thursday, saying: “I mean, in an ideal world, you don’t want a situation like this, but I’m pretty sure the concerned people are taking the necessary steps.

“It’s not ideal, everyone knows that. But obviously, looking at our future generations – your kids, my kids – obviously, it’s quite important that they get to live without any fear. So, yeah, every time I get to speak outside of cricket, if we are not discussing cricket, I always talk about this. You know we have to look after our future generations.”

Joe Root on air pollution during the World Cup:

Earlier, England star Joe Root had also expressed his concerns over the level of air pollution in Indian cities. The former England Test captain said that the players were struggling to breathe, calling the situation ‘unique’.

“It just felt like you couldn’t get your breath. It was unique,” he said after the game against South Africa in Mumbai.

“Who knows whether it was air quality? I am not qualified to know. It felt like quite a hazy day, wasn’t it? And you could definitely see that from one side of the ground looking back towards the sun, it was a lot harder visually than it was on the other side of the ground. Whether it was air quality or what, it was definitely an experience I’ve not had before,” he added.

Root and his teammates are currently in Ahmedabad for their next World Cup game. They will lock horns against bitter rivals Australia on Saturday (November 4). The British news outlet has stated that the situation in Ahmedabad is better and the players are unlikely to use inhalers.