What’s the story?
A fire broke out in the hotel near Dwarka in Delhi where the Jharkhand state cricketers including former India captain MS Dhoni were staying and they had to be rescued. Later they were taken to another nearby hotel.
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The Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final clash between Bengal and Jharkhand which was supposed to be held at the Airforce ground in Palam has therefore been rescheduled to Feroz Shah Kotla tomorrow, match referee Sanjay Verma has announced.
The heart of the matter
The whole Jharkhand squad were in the five-star ITC Welcome and having their breakfast at around 6.30 in the morning when they were evacuated in an SOS basis. Media reports say the fire initially started in a mall nearby and then reached the hotel.
30 fire fighting engines rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control after struggling for an hour and 20 minutes. Also, the kits of the players are believed to be still inside the hotel. However, both teams were present on the ground for the clash but looking at the circumstances the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to postponed the game.
Here’s what ANI posted:
What’s next?
It remains to be seen how much time the Jharkhand players take to recover from such a shock. Tomorrow’s game is a semi-final clash where they need to produce a top-notch performance to outdo Bengal who have been quite brilliant of late. But then again MS Dhoni is in charge of this Jharkhand side who is considered by many as the best ever Indian captain and expect him to do something special to lift the morale of the players.
Author’s take
Preventing accidents like these are quite impossible. But we have to thank the staff who got the players out in time risking their own lives and the fire fighters who were quick to get to the spot.
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