Crucial tie for host team on December 14
TNR News Network
Dharamshala:
Himachal Pradesh town Dharamshala, nestled in the lap of the mighty Dhauladhars in Kangra district, is gearing up for a high-stakes clash as the India and South Africa cricket teams arrive in the hill town for the third T20I of the ongoing series, scheduled for December 14.
India, having lost the second match, will look to regain momentum, while South Africa aims to tighten its grip on the series. With both sides eager to seize the advantage, the picturesque Dharamshala stadium is set to become the centre of cricketing excitement.
The Indian squad, led by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, is scheduled to land at Gaggal airport at 12.40 pm on Friday (December 12, 2012) via a special flight. South Africa will touch down later in the afternoon, arriving at 3.25 pm. From the airport, both teams will be escorted under tight security to the Radisson Blu Resort near Dharamshala, where they will stay. Access to players has been completely restricted to ensure security and privacy.
Ticket sales yet to begin
The offline ticket counter could not be opened on Thursday due to logistical delays as around 1,500 tickets failed to reach Dharamshala on time. However, officials expect the counters to become operational on Friday, where spectators may have access to tickets priced at Rs 1,500.
Both teams will have only one day of practice before the match. After arriving from Chandigarh on Friday, neither side has a training session scheduled for the day. Instead, December 13 will serve as the lone preparation day. South Africa will practice from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm, followed by India from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm, as per the schedule released by the BCCI.
Dharamshala has hosted 10 international T20 matches so far. India has played three of those, and the stadium holds a special memory for Indian fans — Rohit Sharma’s only T20I century, a scintillating 106 against South Africa in 2015, was scored here.
8 Indian players to make Dharamshala debut
As many as eight members of the current Indian squad will be playing an international match in Dharamshala for the first time. The list includes Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy. While several senior players such as Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav have prior experience at the venue in various formats, a significant portion of the squad will be stepping onto the Dharamshala turf for the first time.
With both teams hungry for a win and the scenic stadium ready to welcome fans, Friday’s arrivals mark the beginning of an intense buildup to what promises to be a thrilling contest.
