The first One-Day International between India and South Africa in Dharamshala on Thursday saw spectators pouring into the stadium despite the Sports Ministry asking national federations to avoid large gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Sports Secretary Radhey Shyam Julaniya has been quoted as saying by PTI that all national federations must follow the Health Ministry’s advisory.
“We have asked all the NSFs, including the Board of Control for Cricket in India, to follow the Health Ministry’s latest advisory, which says public gatherings should be avoided in all events, including sporting activities. The sporting events can go on but the advisory needs to be followed,” said Julaniya.
Despite this, the India-South Africa ODI on Thursday saw plenty of fans coming together to watch the match in the Dharamshala stadium. The Indian Express quoted Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association secretary Sumit Sharma as saying: “We haven’t got any instruction.”
Rain delayed the start of the first ODI between India and South Africa on Thursday. The toss was delayed because of a wet outfield at the scheduled start time of 1 pm IST due to a wet outfield.
The three-match series is going ahead despite the coronavirus outbreak that has prompted many sporting events to be cancelled or postponed across the globe.