By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
Kanpur : There seems to be few takers for the tickets of the final India-South Africa Test starting here Friday as the police denied any security threat to the five-day encounter.
There was no mad rush to get a glimpse of the cricketers in or outside the Green Park Stadium as locals showed a lukewarm response to the home team, who are trailing 0-1 in the three-match series.
“That India have not played well in his series and are one match down is a big factor. Then, Tendulkar is always a big attraction but he is not here, and school examinations are on in the city,” an officials of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) involved in the match told IANS.
“That is why few tickets have bee sold for the match so far and the pace of sales is unlikely to pick up,” he pointed out.
By Thursday afternoon, when the two teams finished their practice sessions, only a couple of gun-totting policemen were left back in the stadium to protect the pitch, which is an usual practice these days.
Additional Director General of Police (Crime, Law and Order) Brij Lal and Senior Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Singh told reporters that there was no threat to the match.
“We are alert, but there is nothing serious about this [threat perception],” Singh said Thursday night.
He indicated that around 3,500 police personnel and private security guards would be deployed during the match.
Spectators would not be allowed to carry mobile phones, water bottles or solid articles inside the stadium.
Security has been beefed up at the Landmark Hotel where the two teams are staying. Over the years, security of cricketers has become a top priority for the local police.