Excitement was high among people as the match approached, with all tickets sold out for the first international cricket match since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last international match at Barsapara Stadium here was an India-Sri Lanka T20 match on January 5, 2020, which was called off due to persistent rain.
In a pre-match media interaction, India head coach Rahul Dravid said it was great to see the fans back in the stadium.
“Since June when things opened up, every time we play in India, every stadium has been packed. That’s a good thing. I’m sure the boys really appreciate the fans cheering them on, hoping that “they support good cricket. I think it’s a wicket that would support good cricket,” Dravid said.
The regional meteorological center forecast partly cloudy skies with one or two bouts of rain or thunderstorms for Guwahati on Sunday.
The organizers, for their part, indicated that they had put in place all the provisions to minimize the loss of time in the event of rain.
The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) imported two “extremely lightweight” field covers from the United States. It already has about twenty covers.
“These imported covers ensure that no water or moisture seeps into the pitch,” the ACA secretary said. Devajit Saikia had said.
The stadium can accommodate around 39,000 people.
Saikia also said additional measures are planned for crowd management as the match schedule coincides with Durga Puja days and Gandhi Jayanti.
Earlier today, Indian cricketers Axar Patel and Umesh Yadav visited the famous Kamakhya temple on top of Nilachal hill here.
They were escorted to “Shaktipeeth” under high security cover, officials said.
Both posed for photos with fans before heading back to the hotel.
