The India and West Indies teams, which arrived here yesterday for the first one-dayer, got a traditional welcome at the Kochi international airport.
The first of the three match series will be played on Thursday. The teams were received by a group of women dressed in the popular art forms of Kathakali and Mohiniyatam, accompanied by the chenda (traditional Kerala drums).
Chris Gayle
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A huge crowd had gathered to receive the cricketers and the biggest cheers was reserved for explosive West Indies batsman Chris Gayle. The left-hander danced to the beats of the drums which left many happy and excited. The teams are slated to practise today at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The match, to be played under lights, will be the ninth ODI here. Even though the ground is ready, the only dampener at the moment appears to be the northeast monsoon rains that normally hit the state around October-November.
The ticket sales appear to be brisk and the organisers are expecting the nearly 50,000 capacity stadium to be packed.u00a0“The pitch looks a good batting strip and a total of more than 260 is not going to be a tough ask,” said an organiser.
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