Cuttack, Nov. 2: Cricket was the clear winner as thousands of fans thron-ged the Barabati Stadium today to witness the series opener between India and Sri Lanka. The stadium was packed even though the initial sale of tickets for the match had not generated much response.

All roads leading to the stadium were jam-packed with traffic because of the huge turnout.

Spectators from different parts of the state queued up at the stadium gates hours before the start of the match. It was a memorable moment for many of them like Tankadhar Patel, whose dream of watching an international cricket match at Barabati came true.

“It was a long cherished dream to watch Team India play at the Barabati. I have come to watch Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina. I am grateful to my friends and relatives who got me tickets for today’s match,” said the 55-year-old farmer from Sundergarh.

Most of the fans said they wanted a high-scoring game with India batting first on the flat Barabati pitch and Team India did not disappoint them.

“The opening stand between Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane was the turning point as both scored centuries. Though we had come to watch Virat play, he was not able to capitalise on a good start,” said Akash Nayak, a spectator.

The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) officials heaved a sigh of relief after all the tickets for the match were sold out.

Crowds flock to the Barabati stadium to watch the first ODI match between India and Sri Lanka on Sunday. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

“We were hopeful that Barabati will be packed to its capacity for the ODI as the last T-20 match between India and West Indies had been cancelled because of unavoidable circumstances last month,” said Satya Mohanty, OCA treasurer.

Mohanty said that keeping in view the dew factor, two advanced soakers and some other traditional methods were used to clear it during the second half of the match.

The OCA had roped in around 150 private security guards and installed 65 CCTV cameras. There was extra surveillance in and around the stadium following police recommendation to ensure better crowd management and security of the players.

Around 60 platoons of police, three units of anti-terrorist squad and two teams of special operations group were deployed for the match.

“We had initiated special measures for the security of players who were brought to the Barabati Stadium under tight security. Anti-sabotage teams had sanitised every corner of the stadium before the start of the match,” said deputy commissioner of police, Sanjeev Arora. The senior police officer said that all possible arrangements were made to ensure that people watch the match without any problem.