India vs SA 4th T20I abandoned: Tharoor says AQI in North Indian cities too poor, should've played in Thiruvananthapuram

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should have scheduled matches in Thiruvananthapuram instead of cities in Northern India which usually have high AQI at this time of the year. After multiple delays, the fourth T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned on Wednesday due to dense fog in Lucknow where the AQI was touching hazardous levels around the match time.

Tharoor, who is a Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram since 2009, said that the matches should have been scheduled in the Kerala capital instead of places where visibility is an issue.

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Tharoor throws Thiruvananthapuram’s hat in the ring

It was a long and frustrating wait for the fans to witness some cricketing action on Wednesday as the game got consistently delayed as the evening wore on.

Umpires opted for pitch inspections at 6:50 PM, 7:30 PM, 8 PM, 8:30 PM, and 9 PM and after that they concluded that the conditions are not good enough for the match to go ahead.

Tharoor, like many other fans, showed his frustration on X and gave the option of the city that sends him to Parliament.

“Cricket fans have been waiting in vain for the #INDVSSAODI to start in Lucknow. But thanks to dense smog, pervasive in most north Indian cities, and an AQI of 411, visibility is too poor to permit a game of cricket. They should’ve scheduled the game in Thiruvananthapuram, where AQI is about 68 right now!” Tharoor posted on X.

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Cricket fans have been waiting in vain for the #INDVSSAODI to start in Lucknow. But thanks to dense smog, pervasive in most north Indian cities, and an AQI of 411, visibility is too poor to permit a game of cricket. They should’ve scheduled the game in Thiruvananthapuram, where…

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 17, 2025

Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield Stadium last hosted international cricket in 2023. It hosted an ODI against Sri Lanka early in the year and then also hosted a T20I against Australia in November.

In fact, India have a solid record in Kerala, having won five out of the six international matches that the team has played at the Greenfield Stadium.

South Africa and India finish this series in Ahmedabad on Friday with the hosts having a 2-1 lead.