BHUBANESWAR: India and West Indies cricket teams arrived here on Thursday for the third and final ODI to be played at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday and were taken to a hotel which was fortified with security officials. With the arrival of the players, the cricket lovers are excited to cheer the men in blue after two and a half years.
Offline ticket sale for the ODI also kicked off at stadium on the day. Euphoria among the fans was visible in the Millennium City as fans from far and near stood at the ticket counters 15 hours before the opening time despite request by Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) secretary Sanjay Behera not to make line from late night citing lack of lighting arrangement.
As many as 8,150 tickets have been sold online, while all the 10,150 tickets sold over the counter have been sold out. All the counters were under CCTV surveillance and no individual was allowed to buy two tickets. Sources said 8,946 tickets have been sold to the OCA affiliated associations, schools, colleges and clubs. The players will travel to Cuttack for practice sessions on Friday and Saturday.