It was chaos all around at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday. With just a day to go for the inauguration of the four-day third Asian senior men's volleyball championship (central zone), a lot of loose ends need to be tied up.
The good news is that the championship will have all four teams. The news of Pakistan coming was greeted warmly, for any team dropping out at this stage would have played havoc with the fixture.
Late on Tuesday, a statement by the Pakistan Volleyball Federation secretary cleared the team's trip after the Indian High Commission agreed to issue visas.
Kazakhstan arrived on Wednesday morning and India reached by train from Chennai where the team was felicitated for winning a bronze medal at the Asian Cup.
Pakistan left for New Delhi by road and the team is expected to take a morning flight to Kolkata on Thursday.
Getting it ready
The venue, however, wore a chaotic look. With hardly any time, work is going on at a feverish pitch to get the stadium fit for the international meet. Khudiram Stadium, the practice venue, had a first jolt when the Kazakhs refused to get into the air-conditioned hall because the smell of a new coat of paint given to the interior of the stadium was so overwhelming that the team thought it prudent to return to the hotel.
India, next in for practice, did not find anything wrong with the venue and went about their business in all seriousness. The team has brought in two players in P.S. Srikkanth and Navin Raja Jacob, both attackers, to bolster the side.
Sanjay Kumar, adjudged the best scorer at the Asian Cup, will captain the side.
