The Indian team is touring Zimbabwe for the first time in six years but it seems they have landed at the worst possible time. Harare is going through a major water crisis at the moment as people are queuing up for drinking water. Such is the situation in the city that some parts of it have not received water supply in the past three weeks.
With such chaos in the city, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has directed its players to avoid water wastage of any sort. The players have been asked to take quick showers and the pool session has also been cancelled. A board official informed InsideSport about the directive issued to the players.
“Yes, the water situation in Harare is severe and the players have been informed about that. They have been asked not to waste water at any cost and take bath for as little time as possible. Also, pool sessions have been cut down to save water,” said the BCCI official.
Notably, this is not the first time Indian players are touring a city that is facing a severe water crisis. A similar situation had occurred when India toured South Africa in 2018. Many parts of Cape Town were without running water. The BCCI had then asked players to use as less water as possible. Even hotels had to put up signs to avoid water wastage.
A player from the Indian squad also reacted to this situation in Harare and called it unreal. "I only heard about it from the players who went to South Africa two three years ago. But now, it’s a reality. But those who went to South Africa say the situation was far more severe then. Here, we are using as little water as possible.
You can also see that the pitch is also very dry. The good thing is that the outfield has started getting water and it’s in better shape. But it’s okay, not a big problem. We can manage,” one of the players told InsideSport from Harare.