Biggest match of my life: GCA secretary Anil Patel

GCA secretary Anil Patel at the Narendra Modi Stadium yesterday. Pic/Ashwin Ferro

While today's India v Pakistan blockbuster at the Narendra Modi Stadium here is a high-pressure game for each and every player involved, spare a thought for one man who has been in the hot seat for the last few months, throughout the build-up of this massive fixture. Gujarat Cricket Association Secretary Anil Patel has a plush air-conditioned office in the stadium complex here, but he has hardly set foot in it for some time now as he has been extremely busy putting together the last few pieces of the massive Indo-Pak puzzle at hand.

Busy schedule
"There has been so much to do, right from catering to ticketing, security arrangements to other infrastructure-related work. Even 24 hours are not enough in a day. It's not only for the India and Pakistan players, this is the biggest match of my life too," Patel told mid-day during a brief interaction on match-eve while he was on the move and on the phone, speaking to vendors and stadium officials.

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Dial 108 for ambulance
"Taking into account the hot weather, we have installed numerous RO water plants for the spectators. There will be a special, free ambulance [108 service] besides two ambulances on stand-by. We have also constructed two makeshift hospital-like facilities right here in the stadium with beds and medical equipment in place for medical emergencies," added Patel.

A large number of VIPs are expected to grace the occasion, including Home Minister Amit Shah, so all the planning needs to be spot-on, most importantly the security arrangements. "I have been in constant touch with security forces. We have a 5,000-strong bunch of security personnel already in operation. In addition to this, on match day, we will have a team of NSG [National Security Guard] commandos at hand in case of any eventuality," he said.

The biggest headache to deal with, however, remains the most basic one, and that is match tickets. "I constantly keep getting requests for match tickets and I have to politely turn them all down because our match tickets are sold out. The stadium has a total seating capacity of 1,32,000 and other than a few seats that have been taken up due to the stage and other fixtures, the rest will all be occupied. It's a sell-out and will be a blockbuster match," Patel said.