India vs South Africa 4th T20I in Lucknow on December 17, 2025, brings in the memories of the 2017 Delhi Test, when India was up for a challenge against Sri Lanka. As the time progressed, the T20I match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow went under uncertainty because of dense fog and extremely poor air quality.

The match was officially scheduled to start at 7.00 in the evening. Because of the adverse conditions, umpires put the match on hold. Former South Africa pacer Dale Styne was on the ground, and he informed us that the fog was so dense that even he wasn't able to see anything. From the live match coverage, it was also learnt that the air quality (AQI) in the city was above 400, which was far away from an ideal condition for a cricket match and even for athletes.

Last time, back in 2017, during the India vs Sri Lanka Test match in the capital city of India, the AQI came into discussion. Then the poor air quality forced the Sri Lankan players to wear masks. and the situation got so grim that trainer Nick Lee even pulled on his whites to make up the eleven. Despite the challenging situations, the Test match ultimately took place on the scheduled time frame.

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Know why IND vs SA 4th T20I in Lucknow brings back the memories of 2017 Delhi Test

Virat Kohli, who scored 243 and 50, respectively, in the first and second innings of the match, was awarded the best player of the match, which eventually ended in a draw.  India, in this match, registered 536/7d and 246/5d in the first and the second innings, respectively.

In reply, Sri Lanka claimed 373 and 299/5. To win the game, the island nation had to score 410 runs. Both teams showed some brilliant batting throughout the match.