Bangalore goes all out for WC success

To walk in and see Anil Kumble's name imprinted in block letters outside the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) President's room is a delightful sight

Bangalore goes all out for WC success

To walk in and see Anil Kumble's name imprinted in block letters outside the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) President's room is a delightful sight. Kumble's unit has left no stone unturned in getting the ground ready to host five World Cup fixtures. In addition, the Chinnaswamy Stadium will play host to Sunday's warm-up fixture between India and Australia.

The mood has changed drastically in the Garden City in the last few weeks. From being in a position to host just the solitary India game against the Irish, the cricket public here which was voted the best during last year's Indian Premier League (IPL), now braces for a double dose of Irish and the English. People are swarming in for India-England tickets but had to leave disappointed as it opens up only on February 21. The warm-up match on Sunday is expected to be a sell-out despite the fact that it won't carry ODI status.

It's hard to see past the fact that the greatest sons of contemporary Karnataka cricket are in charge. Rahul Dravid spent at least three hours chatting with former teammate Javagal Srinath, secretary of the KSCA, in his office yesterday afternoon. Their presumably deep conversation was visible to journalists and cameramen who habituated the pavilion region for most part of the day.

There's still a bit of work to finish ahead of the mega event. The old press box, which had a colonial feel, deprived of a roof or windows, with classic tables and chairs ufffd is a thing of the past. "The pending work is mostly boundary fencing, press box renovation, repairing the electronic scoreboard and some hoardings need to be put up. It should be completed before Sunday's India-Australia match," said an official of KSCA.

The Indian team, which was to arrive at the ground at 2 PM for a practice session, eventually reached the ground at half past three in the afternoon but fans who arrived at the ground in the morning stayed back to get a glimpse of the superstars. Gundaappa Vishwanath, Erapalli Prasanna and Venkatesh Prasad were prominently spotted besides Kumble and Srinath.

The No 2 ODI team played a game of football that lasted nearly an hour and a half. Following that, it was a pleasant sight to see Virender Sehwag at the nets. Suresh Raina was another batsman who got an extended session of throw downs from Eric Simmons, the bowling coach of the Indian team.

The camp continues until tomorrow.

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