Dharamsala prepares for Indo-Pak contest

The state prepares to host its first international match when Pakistan play their tour opener.

At a quaint stadium set against the backdrop of the snow-capped Dhauladhar ranges, this home to the exiled Dalai Lama is preparing to host the state's first international cricket match when India and Pakistan play their tour opener in Dharamshala between March 3-5.

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The stadium seats only 15,000 and is still unfinished but the pitch, on which many a match of the Ranji Trophy domestic cricket tournament has been played, is considered to be among the better ones in the country.

The excitement in the air is palpable as the bustling town is being spruced up to welcome cricketers and cricket fans from across the border. The roads leading to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium are being repaired and the adjoining areas are also being given a new look.

Even as a major controversy had erupted over the choice of a Test venue and doubts are still being expressed whether Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla stadium will be readied in time for the final one-dayer of the series, Dharamsala got the nod in a jiffy.

The venue assessment committee of the Pakistani Cricket Board (PCB), which had visited all the Test and One-Day International (ODI) venues, didn't even come because of the total peace prevailing in Himachal Pradesh, HPCA sources said.

Many residents of the town regard this a rare privilege. HPCA spokesperson Sanjay Sharma said the Pakistani team, which will arrive in India on February 28, will be brought here in luxury buses from the Wagah border in Punjab.

The two teams will stay in hotels in McLeodganj, uptown from Dharamshala.

Tickets for the main pavilion block would be priced at Rs 300 per day and two other categories would be priced Rs 60 and Rs 50 per day respectively.