Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The ambience said it all. With the grey sky since morning already giving an ominous sign, the Hotel Taj packed with armed security forces looked like a fortress.
Following the concerns of the English Cricket Board, these arrangements were specially made in the wake of the terror attacks in Mumbai last month.
As the arrival time of the teams approached, mediapersons started pouring into the hotel. But with the security personnel not compromising on anything, they were not allowed inside. It was only when the bus carrying the foreign correspondents reached the hotel after 3 pm that the local media was given the nod to enter the premises.
With no vehicle of guests being allowed either, all of them could be seen walking to the lobby from the entrance.
The chartered flight carrying the teams was supposed to reach Chandigarh by 2.30 pm, but it landed at the Air Force Station one-and-a-half-hour late. After security checks, the Indian team came out first and boarded the team bus. Amid tight security, the team reached the hotel around 4.20 pm.
Harbhajan Singh was the first to enter the lobby, followed by local lad Yuvraj Singh. The first Test hero Sachin was the next one to step in, while skipper Dhoni was the last one to enter the hotel.
Fans waiting to catch a glimpse of Sehwag were in for a disappointment as he had not boarded the chartered plane. According to officials, Sehwag, Ishant Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Amit Mishra will join the team on December 17.
Reaching the hotel amid cheers of fans, Flintoff, Monty Panesar, skipper Pietersen and other players quietly marched towards their rooms.
The practice session of the second Test match, which was earlier scheduled to be played in Mumbai, will start from December 17 at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. While the England team will begin practice at 9 am, the Indians will hit the ground at noon.
