New Delhi: If fearsome fast bowlers had introduced Test cricket to helmeted batsmen four decades ago, Delhi's notorious smog familiarised it with pollution masks as a new fielding gear on Sunday.

For 80-odd minutes after lunch on the second day of the third India-Sri Lanka Test, the game - and Virat Kohli's second consecutive double century - came under a cloud, literally. Eight of the visitors sported white masks and repeatedly stopped play complaining about the air quality.

India were virtually forced to declare their innings (at 536 for 7) as the Lankans seemed to have run out of players feeling fine enough to field.

By then, play had been stopped twice for 17 and 5 minutes; pacers Lahiru Gamage and Suranga Lakmal had walked off complaining of breathing problems; and, Sri Lanka's South African coach Nic Pothas said, three players had vomited in the dressing room.

Cricket portal ESPNcricinfo said that as Lakmal left the ground, "Sri Lanka trainer Nick Lee changed into his whites to step in as the 11th player" while "fielding coach Manoj Abeywickrama was also prepared to take the field".

As on Saturday, the floodlights were switched on in the afternoon to improve the haze-hindered visibility. Sri Lanka batted without masks and were 131 for 3 when bad light stopped play some 44.3 overs later. The team managements later traded thinly veiled barbs.

"All I can say is that Kohli batted for nearly two days and never had any problem. He did not need a mask," India bowling coach Bharat Arun said, denying the declaration had come under duress.

He explained why India coach Ravi Shastri had stepped onto the ground during the stoppages. "Ravi was trying to tell the umpires they should get on with the game. It's not up to the players to go and protest.... When play was unnecessarily being stopped, we just wanted to get on with the game," Arun said.

Pothas countered: "We had players coming off the field and vomiting. There were oxygen things (cylinders) in the dressing room. It's not normal for players to suffer that way while playing the game. From our point of view, it has to be stated that it is a very, very unique case."

Apart from Lakmal and Gamage, Dhananjaya de Silva vomited, he said.

The Bengal-Gujarat Ranji match last season, scheduled in Delhi, had to be abandoned because of air pollution.