Members of India and England teams arrived here on Saturday for the second ODI to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium on January 15, says a report in Deccan Chronicle, adding that despite a disappointing start to the series in Rajkot, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and boys were cheered by thousands upon arrival at the Nedumbassery Airport.
“The English who flew alongside the hosts in a chartered flight from Rajkot were led out of the Airport by pacer Steven Finn and received equal attention as the men-inblue. The visitors will practice at the venue for two hours on Sunday morning and a three-hour session scheduled for the hosts will follow. The England team is also expected to address the media later in the evening,” says the report.
BCCI curator P. R. Viswanath visited the venue on Saturday and expressed satisfaction over the condition of the wicket, which is expected to be batting-friendly. The two sides have a long history to renew in Kochi and just four men remain in contention from the time they locked horns here back in April, 2006.
Meanwhile, The Hindu reports that fans and performing artists had to endure nearly a two-hour wait for the India and England cricket stars at the Kochi international airport at Nedumbassery on Saturday evening. But they did not mind.
“The long wait – the flight from Rajkot arrived nearly an hour late – seemed to be worth it as the fans, nearly 1,500, cheered the arriving stars and pulled out mobile phones to capture the arrival. Team India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a word with a kathakali artist, which was quickly captured by the media shutterbugs hungry for photo opportunity. A 200-strong police force was present at the airport but it did not have to strain much despite the big crowd,” says the report.
With a couple of other flights also landing around the same time, many preferred to wait and catch a glimpse of the cricketers. The two teams will have a practice session at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday – India at 11 a.m. and England from 1.30 p.m. – which will not be open to the public.
According to a report in The Indian Express, BCCI Curator P R Viswanadh has expressed satisfaction with the pitch prepared for the second India-England ODI scheduled to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on January 15. Viswanadh said he was fully satisfied with the pitch.
"We are ready to hold the match even tomorrow. It is hard and has enough grass and is a batting pitch," he told reporters after the pitch inspection.
Meanwhile, Kerala Cricket Association Secretary T C Mathew said all preparations for the ODI are complete. About2000 policemen would be deployed for ensuring security. Except for a few gallery tickets, all other tickets have been sold out, he said. Mathew assured that the only eatables checked by the health inspectors would be allowed inside the stadium.
Meterological department sources said rain would not play spoilsport as in 2010 when the India-Australia match had to be abandoned without even a ball being bowled.