Barabati ODI match: Not only floodlight glitch, other issues too put Odisha's credibility at stake

The India-England ODI at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday saw the hosts clinch a decisive victory thanks to batting heroics from skipper Rohit Sharma. However, a string of unsavoury management incidents dampened the show and received widespread scrutiny on the global stage, leaving cricket fans in Odisha worried if the historic venue will witness further international matches.

Ticket Queue Mismanagement

The lack of proper arrangements for the India-England ODI at Barabati Stadium was alleged days before the match even began. On February 5, the first sale of offline counter tickets was conducted and all of them were sold out on that day itself. However, visuals featured people breaking barricades, fainting, and unable to escape the rush.

Police also resorted to cutting down the bamboo barricades to aid people and streamline the movement of the crowd. Reports also cited black marketeering of tickets, although authorities were able to apprehend several of the accused.

ALSO READ: Black-marketing of Ind vs Eng ODI tickets at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium? Elderly women make beeline to buy tickets amid huge rush

Spraying Fans With Water

The temperature in Cuttack at the start of the match was about 34 degrees Celsius. To aid fans in beating the heat, staff members were seen spraying portable water sprays at them. Viral clippings and pictures of the incident soon went viral online and both OCA and BCCI criticized for the lack of proper shade at the Barabati Stadium.

While many understood that the stadium was old, questions arose as to why the redevelopment of it was not being carried out. Further, the heavily criticized move of the planned bump in ticket prices and misutilization of that revenue was also alleged by fans.

Floodlight Goes Dark

The play was halted for about 25 minutes due to a floodlight failure after six overs of play in the second innings. India stood at 48 at the loss of no wickets with Rohit Sharma batting on 29 and Shubman Gill on 17, chasing a target of 305.

The ‘Hitman’, in great form, was visibly upset with the development and was seen shaking his head in disapproval. Soon after, frustrated players had to return back to the dugout before the technical glitch was fixed.

ALSO READ: Floodlight glitch disrupts India-England match at Cuttack Barabati, fans disappointed

Rohit Sharma Lashes Out at DJ

After the floodlight glitch was fixed and the players returned to the field, Rohit Sharma was seemingly trying to analyse the field and focus on his tactic. However, he was distracted by the constant playing of music by the DJ.

Visibly annoyed, he tried to maintain his composure before eventually signalling for the music to stop while mouthing expletives.

ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma lashes out at Barabati Stadium DJ during India-England ODI, video goes viral

The unfortunate incidents damaged an otherwise smooth game. Further, the India-England ODI was the first of the format to be played at the Barabti Stadium in over six years. Ageing infrastructure and widespread furore of fans on social media sites like X (formerly Twitter) highlighted many lapses in management.

Odisha Govt's Action

The Odisha government has, however, taken stock of the notice and ordered the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) to explain the embarrassing state of the floodlight. On its part, the OCA blamed a generator failure and transportation delays.

ALSO READ: Barabati Stadium floodlight issue: Odisha govt slaps show-cause notice on OCA

Regardless, the issues have now cast doubt on the Barabati Satdium’s capability to host international cricket matches and thereby hampered Odisha’s chances of hosting an event of such scale in the future in Cuttack.