India-Pak Guwahati ODI

Organisers’ faux pas: tricolour forgotten for a while

Nov 5: As the tradition goes, the national flags of the countries whose teams play against each other in any international sports events are hoisted before the start of the game. But this tradition was broken in Guwahati where Team India registered a five wicket victory over their arch rivals Pakistan in front of 22,000 capacity crowd at Nehru Stadium.

There were as many as three posts for hoisting the flags at the Nehru Stadium today, and as such only the flags of Pakistan, the BCCI and the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) were hoisted till the completion of the fourth over of the match.

It was at the fifth over that the matter was brought to the notice of the organisers who then replaced the BCCI flag with the national tricolour. The man who was seen replacing the BCCI flag with the tricolour was Pulak Goswami, who is a member of a broadcasting company.

Source: The Sentinel

Ganguly to visit Kamakhya Temple:

Former Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly, along with a few other cricketers, would pay a visit to the Kamakya temple on Nov 6 morning between 6.30 am and 7.30 am.

From the temple, they would directly move towards the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport to catch their flight for Mohali, where the second match of the Indian Oil Cup is scheduled.

Source: The Assam Tribune

GMC notice to ACA:

Nov 4: Guwahati Municipal Corporation has served a notice to Assam Cricket Association (ACA) for breaching prescribed guidelines under the GMC Act pertaining to the installation of hoardings in and around the RG Baruah Sports Complex in view of the India-Pakistan ODI.

The ACA is likely to be slapped a fine to the tune of several thousand rupees under Section 173 and Sec 174 of GMC Act. Besides, it will also have to pay the tax for putting up hoardings both inside and outside the Nehru Stadium.

Already, the ACA is facing serious criticism for allegedly indulging in anomalies regarding the distribution of tickets through UCO Bank and also for its request made to the proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom, especially when there was no visible perception from the outlawed outfit.

The Corporation, on Nov 3, served a notice to ACA asking the latter to show cause for violation of prescribed rules and regulations.

Source: The Assam Tribune

India-Pak Guwahati ODI

No rivalry off the field: Malik

Nov 4: India and Pakistan cricketers were seen enjoying company of one another during nets session at the Nehru Stadium one day before the match.

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was seen involved in gossip with Harbhajan Singh and later Zahir Khan also joined the duo while Sourav Ganguly was speaking with Mohammed Yousuf in such a mood that it looked like both friends were meeting after a long time.

It is for the first time the two sides are facing each other at the Nehru Stadium and also the first time after the Tewnty20 World Cup final.

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik admitted that rivalry was just confined to the ground while outside they were all very good friends.

“Nowadays, we are facing each other frequently. So I personally feel that there is no extra pressure on us. We confine the rivalry to the ground only and off the field we are very good friends,” he said.

The two teams had a 40-minute work out before two separate pre-match conferences.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said both the sides were evenly matched and whoever handles the situation well would have the last laugh. He said the small ground (65 sq yards) could be a nightmare for the bowlers.

Earlier, the IndianOil Cup was unveiled by both the captains at a city hotel in the presence of senior IOC officials and Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson.


Fans fail to see cricketers at nets:

Nov 4: It was a tough day for the crowd that came to witness the cricketers for a little while. The police didn’t allow a single fan inside the stadium to see the two teams at the nets.

Security personnel took extra cautions and did not allow a single person unless he had a pass.

There were restrictions on crowd movement at the B Borooah Road from the morning and once Team India checked in at the nearby hotel, complete ban on movement was imposed on the B Borooah Road.

A crowd of more than 5,000 gathered near the main gate of the RG Baruah Sports Complex when the bus carrying Indian team entered the stadium. The news of the arrival of the Indian team brought in more supporters near the main gate.

Source: The Sentinel