Indian cricket team arrived here on Saturday amidst high security cover to play the high-voltage World Cup semifinal match against arch—-rivals Pakistan at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium in Mohali on March 30.
The Indian cricketers reached here in the afternoon and straightaway boarded the bus that was escorted by heavy security on their way to the team hotel, where the Pakistan team, which arrived on Friday, have also been put up.
The Shahid Afridi-led Pakistan team, which had beaten the West Indies in their quarterfinal in Mirpur to set a semifinal clash against India, had quietly slipped into their rooms upon their arrival.
The team hotel, which has also been turned into a fortress, gave little chance to the fans and the autograph seekers of getting anywhere close to the cricketers, including local hero Yuvraj Singh, who has shown terrific form in the Cup.
Even the media persons were not allowed to go inside unlike yesterday when they were permitted to enter.
“Nearly 1,000 cops have been deployed for the security of the teams and officials,” Chandigarh SSP (Security) H.S. Doon said.
The PCA stadium, which is about 12 km from the team hotel, has also been sealed and nearly 2,000 policemen would be deployed in and around it on match-day as part of foolproof security measures, a Punjab police official said.
Cricketing ties between the two countries were suspended in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has invited his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari to join him in watching the semifinal.
