Bhubaneshwar, Dec 19 (Inditop.com) The Indian and Sri Lankan cricket teams arrived here amidst tight security Saturday for the third One-day International to be played Monday at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.
The teams arrived at the Biju Patnaik Airport by a chartered flight from Nagpur. India were without captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been handed a two-ODI ban for the team’s slow over rate in the Nagpur match.
Security has been tightened in both the cities and players were escorted to the team hotel by commandos of the elite Special Operations Group (SOG).
“We have put a tight security blanket in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. We can’t take any chances after the terrorist attack on Sri Lankan players in Pakistan,” said police commissioner B.K. Sharma.
The last time India played an ODI here in 2007, coach Greg Chappell was slapped by one Biranchi Maharana at the Bhubaneswar airport. Maharana, who belonged to Kalinga Sena, a local political outfit in Bhubaneswar, was unhappy about the non-inclusion of Orissa players in the Indian team.
