IND VS SA match: Men in Blue land in Bhubaneswar for T20 series opener at Barabati Stadium

Players of both India and South Africa touched down in Bhubaneswar on Sunday for the highly anticipated first match of the five-game T20I series scheduled to be held at the iconic Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on December 9.

Both squads travelled by a special chartered flight and were received at the airport amid great excitement. From there, they were escorted to a designated hotel in Bhubaneswar in special buses and a secured convoy. According to reports, players along with the support staff have reached the city and will take part in a practice session at Barabati Stadium later this evening.

Some South African cricketers, who were not a part of the ODI series, had arrived earlier, while the rest joined the squad today. A few more players are expected to reach later this evening.

Massive crowd gathered along the roads for hours hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars.

“I couldn’t see everyone, but I managed to see Team India coach Gautam Gambhir and Tilak Varma. I wish India win the match,” a fan said with excitement.

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Another ecstatic follower said, “I saw Gautam Gambhir, Tilak Varma, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma.”

A third fan said, “We are confident that India will register an emphatic win at Barabati.”

Upon arrival at the hotel, the teams received a traditional and grand welcome with tribal dance performances, drum beats, flower showers amid tight security arrangements. Special food menus have been prepared for the cricketers.

With South Africa having clinched the Test series and India securing the ODI series, the T20 opener is set to be an electrifying contest. According to the pitch curator, the match is likely to be high-scoring, further intensifying the excitement among fans which is already at its peak.