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Rising temperatures a problem for Pak
Vishakapatnam is set to host the second India-Pakistan ODI on Tuesday but the sweltering heat could pose problems for the visitors.
Vishakapatnam is set to host the second One-Day International between India and Pakistan on Tuesday but the sweltering heat could pose problems for Pakistan, which is trailing 0-1 in the six-match series.
The maximum temperature in the city was 37 degrees Celsius on Sunday, up four degrees from the 33 degrees recorded on Saturday.
The heat, however, has failed to dampen the spirits of cricket enthusiasts.
All hotels and lodges are packed as hundreds of cricket lovers have poured in from different parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh, neighbouring Orissa and from state capital Hyderabad.
Vishakapatnam is in the grip of cricket fever and is wearing a festive look. State-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation is operating 200 special buses to the cricket stadium. A few buses are being operated from Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Tirupati.
With India registering a convincing win at Kochi, cricket enthusiasts are hoping forward to a keen contest at the newly constructed stadium of Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) and Vishakapatnam District Cricket Association (VDCA), located 15 km from the city.
Vishakapatnam has hosted five One-Day International matches and all were played at the Municipal Stadium in the heart of the city.
The new stadium has a capacity of 27,000 and it has hosted a three-day match between the Indian Board President's XI and New Zealand.
This is the second time that Pakistan will be playing at Vishakapatnam. They had last played in 1999 against Sri Lanka, when they lost the Pepsi Cup tri-series match by 12 runs.
India has figured in three of the five matches played at Vishakapatnam since 1989. The last match was between India and Australia, when the world champions defeated the hosts by 93 runs in a high-scoring game.
Police have made massive security arrangements for Tuesday's match.
Though Maoist rebels and other extremist groups have not issued any threats to disrupt the match, police are taking no chances. Policemen were seen checking vehicles in different parts of the city on Sunday.
Police Commissioner VSK Kaumudi said elaborate arrangements had been made at the stadium, the Taj Hotel where the two teams would stay, and also at Port Stadium, where the two teams would have net practice on Monday.
