A hero's welcome awaits Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he arrives in Bangalore later this week with the Indian cricket team for the first of the 7 One-Day Internationals.
BANGALORE: A tumultuous welcome awaits Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he arrives here later this week with the Indian cricket team for the first of the seven One-Day International (ODIs) to be played against Australia.
This translates into tough times for the city police.
"We will be ready. We expect large crowds at the airport, at the hotel and at the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the people will want to see the new (Twenty20) champions," a police officer said.
"Since (bowling coach) Venkatesh Prasad and (batsman) Robin Uthappa are expected on Wednesday, their arrival would serve as a rehearsal for our men to handle the crowds," he added.
Prasad and Uthappa are in for a hero's welcome too, given the boisterous celebrations in the city Monday night after the Indian team won the inaugural Twenty20 thriller at Johannesburg.
Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, a cricket enthusiast, has announced a cash prize of Rs 5,00,000 each for Prasad and Uthappa.
Though Uthappa did not shine with the bat in the final, he did a splendid job in running out danger man Imran Nazir.
As for Prasad, Dhoni himself has given full credit to the bowlers for winning the cup for India.
The victory celebrations went on well past midnight not only in Bangalore but other cities too.
Youngsters carrying the national flag sang "Chak de India" and danced on the streets of Mangalore on the west coast to Bagalkot in the north and Mysore in the south Karnataka.
The main topic of discussion in offices, buses, schools and colleges Tuesday morning after a night of celebrations was the Team India's victory and who all from the winning team would play against Australia in the Sep 29 ODI here.
The 12,000 tickets for the general public at the Chinnaswamy Stadium were sold out Monday, within hours after the sale began.
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