On Friday, 7 February 2025, both the Indian and English cricket teams were spotted landing at Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar, to attend the 2nd One-Day International, which is still ongoing within the series. They will next play it at the iconic Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday, 9 February. Such cricketing activities are full of passion at times and hold a few historic memories.
Fan Welcome
As one would expect, a posse of big fans from Bhubaneswar was in a beeline to catch a glimpse of their favorite cricketers. In droves, they swarmed outside the airport and when the players came out, it was an uproar. The crowd was set ablaze, waving the Indian tricolor and showering them with banners that beam messages of support and solidarity. Even slogans are chanted for star players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and England’s Jos Buttler.Though heavy security arrangements were made in all the places, some lucky fans had very short interactions with the players while taking photographs and waving bye to the teams. All the teams were then left for Hotel Mayfair, Bhubaneswar with strict security coverage by all the staff.
Excitement flows at the stadium: Teams begin their serious training session
Odisha Cricket Association has made all the best arrangements to make this much-awaited match at Barabati Stadium a tremendous success. The last ODI had crossed five years back; so the cricket enthusiasts of the state Odisha, and from adjacent places were very anxious to experience it.
OCA president Pankaj Lochan Mohanty said all arrangements have been made to ensure the comfort of the spectators-from seating and food stalls, and drinking water facilities, to medical aid. He appealed to the followers to follow the security measures so that everyone has a hassle-free and entertaining time.
India vs. England: Head-to-Head at Barabati
One such ground where most of the edge-of-the-seat India-England cricket matches had been played over the years in the past was this venue, where head to head, again, this two teams match favoring England winning three out of five ODIs in this venue to India. Despite that, India has also produced a good result overall at the Barabati venue as they have won 12 out of 19 ODIs.It is the highest total on this ground for India, as the team successfully compiled a colossal total of 381/6 against England in the year 2017. India’s lowest at Barabati stands at 85 runs by South Africa all out, which has been since the year 1993
What’s next for 2nd ODI?
Everything is visible in open skies and excellent weather report for the day of the match with everybody wanting some high-scoring game, an Indian team sealing the series with another victory. England has a very different story to say as they are taking the last match to make it level from the drubbing in the first ODI.
Building all the excitement among the cricketing fraternity from each nook and corner of India, cricketing followers impatiently await witnessing one of the strongest battles that two top teams would encounter at one of the favorite cricketing locations in India. All preparation is done to have some electrifying competition on the ground and fans are just waiting for the beginning!
