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Journalism of Courage
The Ahmedabad Police have a serious task at hand during the India vs Pakistan World Cup game. Not only will they have to manage security and handle a large crowd, they have to even ensure that no fans bring ‘Gutka’ inside the Narendra Modi stadium.
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The Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) had specially requested Ahmedabad Police to ensure that no fans marched in with the pan masala or gutka as it creates plenty of problems during the game.
The masala chokes the bathroom pipe and results in waterlogging in its basin. It also makes the environment dirty and to keep it clean, GCA had to spend money on removing the stains. The state government last year had banned gutka and pan masala containing nicotine but it still found its way into the market.
“It takes a lot of money and manpower to remove these masala stains. There have been instances where the sink pipe saw blockage, kyunki sab thook ke gaye. (Because people spat out the masala). We have requested police to ensure that no masala is allowed inside the stadium,” a GCA official said.
The Narendra Modi Stadium has a capacity of 1.30 lac and it is expected to be a packed house on Saturday.
Gill is 99% available
After Rohit Sharma said in a press conference that Shubman Gill is 99% available, the opener, who is recovering from dengue, batted for more than one hour in the India team nets.
The opener tested positive before the World Cup began last week for India in Chennai but showed speedy recovery thereafter. The team management flew him to Ahmedabad and he even batted on Thursday with a throwdown specialist.
On the eve of their marquee World Cup league game at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Sharma was asked whether Gill will be available for the India vs Pakistan game. Sharma replied, “99% he is available. We’ll see tomorrow.”
In the absence of Gill, the Indian team tried Ishan Kishan for the first two games. Back in the nets, Gill batted for more than one hour. He faced throwdowns, batted with Virat Kohli in the adjacent nets and faced Mohd Shami and R Ashwin alongwith other net bowlers.
He took a break and later took further throwdowns. If everything goes as per the team management’s plan, then chances are Gill will play his first World Cup game. Ahmedabad has been his home venue during IPL for Gujarat Titans and here Gill has played some exceptional knocks.
PCB chairman reaches India
Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ashraf Zaka will be meeting Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials on the sidelines of the India vs Pakistan game. Zaka reached Ahmedabad on the eve of the game and will be watching the India vs Pakistan game in the city. This will be a crucial tour for PCB officials, who are trying hard to resume India vs Pakistan bilateral ties. Zaka met with Pakistan players too in the city.
