logo
Is It Too Hot To Play Cricket In India? Experts Say: "12 Per Cent Danger Of Heat Stroke"

Is It Too Hot To Play Cricket In India? Experts Say: "12 Per Cent Danger Of Heat Stroke"

NDTV4 days ago
Even before the experts from British Association for Sustainability in Sport (BASIS) came up with the report- Hit For Six, The Danger Zone, former Australian legend Shane Warne spoke about it. He said on the impact of Climate Change on Cricket. "I think we all have to admit now that climate change is a huge issue. Before I'd seen the report I hadn't really thought about how it would impact the game of cricket. I was really taken aback. I'm more than happy to put my hand up. I have got three children - 22, 20 and just about to turn 18 - it's a different world for them. People want to put their head in the sand, and say I'm not going to be around in 50 years. That's just wrong."
A bunch of climate scientists and researchers, having analysed the IPL's 18th season or 2025 say that this year's matches were played under "Extreme Caution" or "Danger" on the Heat Index - a measure that combines air temperature and humidity to assess heat-related risk.
More than 36% of 2025 IPL games took place under "Extreme Caution" conditions, where heat exhaustion becomes a serious threat, with a further 12% reaching a "Danger" classification where the risk of heatstroke becomes significant.
Is it too hot to play cricket in India?
What are experts saying?
NDTV's @cheerica brings you this report pic.twitter.com/bH5G9cznX5
— NDTV (@ndtv) July 22, 2025
The findings come from a report produced by the British Association for Sustainability in Sport (BASIS), Climate Central, Frontrunners and The Next Test.
A total of 65 IPL matches were assessed for the study. Scientists are saying that they are witnessing a clear trend towards more frequent and more intense heat conditions for key cricketing nations. Players are now being asked to perform in environments that are not just uncomfortable, but potentially dangerous, with rising temperatures and humidity levels pushing human physiology towards its upper limits. This isn't just about performance - it's increasingly a question of player safety.
The report charts a sharp rise in hazardous heat days at almost every major cricket stadium in India since 1970. In Mumbai, the number of these high-risk heat days has jumped by 125%, while Thiruvananthapuram recorded more than 100 hazardous heat days in 2024 alone. These are days when temperatures exceed safe limits for human health, dramatically increasing the risk of heat-related illness. And it is not just India, nations like Pakistan, Australia, and South Africa also seeing a significant surge in extreme heat days.
Several elite sports like Wimbledon, the Club World Cup have also been impacted.
When in comes to cricket, no major nation has been spared-
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Caribbean and the UK are all facing a variety of climate extremes that are impacting the professional and grassroots game.
Cricket stars and cricketers of all generations tell Hit for Six: the danger zone of the impacts to the game they love.
Daren Ganga, former West Indies Captain (48 Tests) 'There is no doubt in my mind that today cricket faces its ultimate test. Forget concerns around different formats, TV deals or the battle for eyeballs in a multi-screen age. This challenge is an existential one and it comes in the form of a rapidly changing climate. I have played in blistering heat and vividly recall the nausea, the dizziness, the cramps that come with feelings of heatstroke. I have witnessed the disruption, despair and uncertainty sown by extreme and unpredictable weather. And things are only expected to deteriorate for the next generation of players, fans and clubs.'
Ashton Turner, Australia (28 Tests), Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow Super Giants, "We can't separate cricket from the places we play in - under open skies, on natural turf, in conditions that are changing faster than ever. As players, we've seen firsthand how weather extremes are already impacting the game. It's time cricket wakes up to the reality of climate change - not just for the future of our sport, but for the communities and countries we represent. We can't afford to sit on the sidelines."
2025 is set to be in the top 3 warmest years on record, says the UN's WMO weather agency, a phenomenon that scientists say is overwhelmingly due to the burning of three fossil fuels: coal, gas and oil.
The report takes into account the psychological and physiological responses from cricketers of all the major test playing nations.
The report says," Cricket is a game that requires its players to have a wide range of physical and psychomotor skills, including concentration, hand-eye coordination, agility, fast decision making, fast reaction times, sprinting and endurance. These technical skills, cognitive and physiological capabilities, must be maintained at the highest of levels over the course of often long periods. Many of these functions are adversely affected by the heat and high body temperatures. The implications for cricket matches being played in very hot conditions are many and varied."
This extreme heat threatens to affect the cricketers and fans. Perhaps time for policy makers to act on it.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Top 10 Players With Most Hundreds In Tests: Sachin Tendulkar Leads, Joe Root Equals Kumar Sangakkara; Ricky Ponting At…
Top 10 Players With Most Hundreds In Tests: Sachin Tendulkar Leads, Joe Root Equals Kumar Sangakkara; Ricky Ponting At…

India.com

time40 minutes ago

  • India.com

Top 10 Players With Most Hundreds In Tests: Sachin Tendulkar Leads, Joe Root Equals Kumar Sangakkara; Ricky Ponting At…

photoDetails english 2937473 Updated:Jul 26, 2025, 11:48 PM IST 1. Sachin Tendulkar (India) - 51 Centuries 1 / 10 Sachin Tendulkar, who is arguably the greatest batter ever, holds the record for scoring most centuries (51) in Test cricket. He is also the highest run-scorer in Test history with 15,921 runs. 2. Jacques Kallis (South Africa) - 45 Centuries 2 / 10 Jacques Kallis, one of cricket's greatest all-rounders, scored second most centuries (45) in Test cricket. Kallis scored 13,289 runs and took 292 wickets, which is a rare feat for an all-rounder. 3. Ricky Ponting (Australia) - 41 Centuries 3 / 10 Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is third in the list with 41 Test centuries. With 13,378 runs, Ponting is Australia's second-highest Test run-scorer after Allan Border. 4. Joe Root (England) - 38* Centuries 4 / 10 Former England captain Joe Root has now hit 38 centuries in Test cricket so far. He has also become the second highest run-getter in Test cricket and is chasing Sachin Tendulkar's tally now. 5. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) - 38 Centuries 5 / 10 Kumar Sangakkara, one of Sri Lanka's finest batters, scored 38 centuries with an impressive batting average of 57.40. Known for his elegant cover drives and wristy flicks, Sangakkara scored 12,400 runs in Test cricket. 6. Steve Smith (Australia) - 36 Centuries 6 / 10 Steve Smith has scored 36 centuries in Test cricket so far. Given his batting quality, Smith is likely to climb higher on the list of Test centuries. 7. Rahul Dravid (India) - 36 Centuries 7 / 10 Rahul Dravid, known as "The Wall" for his resolute defense, scored 36 centuries in Test cricket. His ability to play long, match-saving innings was crucial for India in Test cricket. 8. Younis Khan (Pakistan) - 34 Centuries 8 / 10 Pakistan batter Younis Khan hit 34 centuries in Test centuries. He was one of the biggest match-winners for Pakistan in Test cricket during his playing days. 9. Sunil Gavaskar (India) - 34 Centuries 9 / 10 Sunil Gavaskar, who was the first batter to cross 10,000 Test runs, scored 34 centuries. His technical prowess was unmatched and he faced fearsome pace attacks in the pre-helmet era. 10. Brian Lara (West Indies) - 34 Centuries 10 / 10 West Indies batting great Brian Lara scored 34 centuries in Test cricket. Notably, Lara also holds the record for the highest individual Test score (400* against England in 2004).

Rishabh Pant will bat for India on Day 5 in Manchester, confirms batting coach
Rishabh Pant will bat for India on Day 5 in Manchester, confirms batting coach

India Today

time41 minutes ago

  • India Today

Rishabh Pant will bat for India on Day 5 in Manchester, confirms batting coach

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has revealed that wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant will be available to bat on Day 5 of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. Pant suffered a toe fracture on Day 1 of the game and had to be immediately taken off the braved through the pain on Day 2 and returned to bat to complete his half-century. He scored a brilliant 54 (75), smashing three fours and two sixes. With India once again needing Pant's services on Day 5, the star batter will be once again available to bat, Sitanshu Kotak think he will bat tomorrow,' said Kotak in the press conference at the end of the day's play. Furthermore, the Indian batting coach said that the players will have to play every ball on the merit on the final day and avoid unnecessary risks.'Don't be pre-planned. Play to the merit of the ball. Avoid unnecessary riks. If you are set and then you cut down on undue risks, the only way you can get out is if the ball behaves badly after pitching or if you get a brilliant delivery. These boys have the quality. They have the ability to do what they did today on Day 5. All these are all format players. Everybody is playing the IPL and international cricket. Your mindset is important. Your need to train your mind to play the situation. It takes mental effort more than skill,' he Test Day 4 UpdatesIndia finished Day 4 on 174/2 with KL Rahul and Shubman Gill at the crease. The duo got involved in an unbeaten 174-run stand for the third wicket after the team lost Sai Sudharsan and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first over of the innings are still trailing by 137 runs in the second innings and will have to bat out of their skins to save the Test match on Day 5. Hence, Pant's services will be required for the team as they aim to bat out the entire day to deny England a victory and keep the series alive.- EndsMust Watch

Max Verstappen starts new Red Bull era with Spa sprint win
Max Verstappen starts new Red Bull era with Spa sprint win

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Max Verstappen starts new Red Bull era with Spa sprint win

Formula One champion Max Verstappen won a "cat and mouse" Belgian Grand Prix sprint on Saturday in Red Bull 's first race under the leadership of Laurent Mekies following Christian Horner 's dismissal. McLaren 's championship leader Oscar Piastri finished second, after taking a dominant pole position for the 100km race, with the Australian increasing his advantage over teammate Lando Norris to nine points. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Analytics CXO Leadership Public Policy Design Thinking Cybersecurity Product Management Management Digital Marketing Operations Management Data Science Others healthcare PGDM Healthcare Degree MCA Technology Artificial Intelligence others Project Management Finance Data Science MBA Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Visualization Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Business Intelligence & Data-Driven Decision Making Analytics Strategy & Implementation Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Applied Business Analytics Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details Norris ended up where he started, in third place on a bright afternoon at the longest and second fastest track on the calendar. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari with Haas's Esteban Ocon fifth and Carlos Sainz sixth for Williams. Haas's Oliver Bearman and Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar completed the scoring positions. Qualifying for what could be a soggy main grand prix at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday followed later. Live Events "Well done Max. Very, very impressive defence, very well controlled. You didn't leave anything on the table there," Mekies told Verstappen over the team radio after the Dutch driver took the chequered flag. Verstappen, starting second, used straightline speed to slipstream into the lead at les Combes on lap one and held off Piastri for the remaining 14, with the Australian 0.753 seconds behind at the flag. The win was Verstappen's first, in either a sprint or grand prix, since Imola in May and it was knife-edge all the way. "I knew of course it was going to be very tough to keep them behind. So it's just playing like cat and mouse, DRS, battery usage," he said as the large contingent of Dutch fans celebrated. "The whole race was within seven tenths, so I couldn't afford to make big mistakes. I had one tiny lockup in the last corner, but apart from that it was, for us, a great result to keep them behind. "You have to drive over the limit of what's possible. Tyre management goes out of the window. I did 15 qualifying laps to keep them behind on a track where tyre management is important." PIASTRI FRUSTRATED Piastri had few real chances -- close enough to hope but too far to make a move stick. "I tried my best to snake my way through the straights and not give too much of a tow but didn't have enough straight-line speed and then obviously didn't have enough speed for the next 15 laps either," he said. "It is only a sprint, the main points are tomorrow, so pretty happy with it but a bit frustrated I couldn't get past." Norris was a further 0.661 adrift after losing third place to Leclerc on lap one and taking it back a few laps later. "I wasn't going to get past anyone unless Oscar got past Max. They drove good races," said the Briton. "I was hoping for a bit of battling but the Red Bull was too quick in the straight for us to catch up." The sprint was a disappointment for Mercedes, with George Russell 12th and Kimi Antonelli 17th. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton also had a tough time, last year's grand prix winner with Mercedes finishing a distant 15th after starting 18th. Neither of the Alpines were on the grid, with Franco Colapinto starting from the pit lane and Pierre Gasly entering the race two laps late after a water leak had to be fixed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store