Cuttack: Days before the India versus England second ODI here, all tickets were sold out at the Barabati Stadium.
And hours before the match was to start at 1.30 pm, there were long queues around the stadium to get into the galleries as soon as possible. It was quite a hot day by early February standards, but that hardly mattered for the cricket-crazy fans of Odisha.
Even as the ground was packed to its capacity of 45,000, there were a number of uncovered stands where thousands of fans had to sit under the hot sun.
In a nice gesture, local organisers Odisha Cricket Association did their best to provide some comfort to the fans. Some of the staff went around the open galleries with water containers and sprayed water on the sweating crowd.
The temperature was around 33-34 degrees Celsius but felt higher out in the galleries.
The thoughtful act was appreciated as fans took to social media to applaud OCA.
“Well done Odisha Cricket Association @cricket_odisha.. Spraying water – Specifically in Open stands…. Scorching heat of 35°C,” one fan posted on X.
Well done Odisha Cricket Association @cricket_odisha
Spraying water – Specifically in Open stands…. Scorching heat of 35°C.#Odisha #BarabatiMatch #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/lGt2eXNndx
— alekhaNikun (@nikun28) February 9, 2025
“Due to the heat, water is being sprayed on people in Barabati Stadium, Cuttack – Nice gesture by management,” wrote another person.
Due to the heat, water is being sprayed on people in Barambati Stadium, Cuttack. 🥵
– Nice gesture by management. 👌❤️ pic.twitter.com/K9kkwiluNa
— Aashutosh Goswami (@imAashutoshh) February 9, 2025
As the sun set, the temperature dropped and made conditions at the ground much more comfortable. The crowd settled down to watch India’s batting as they chased a victory target of 305.
