Ahead of ODI, repellents to keep snakes away from Guwahati stadium

The India-Sri Lanka series opener will be the first ODI after almost five years in the city

Security arrangement at the Barsapara Cricket stadium. File. | Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar

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The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) has engaged pest controllers to spray the Barsapara stadium complex in Guwahati with snake repellents ahead of the first of the three one-day international (ODI) matches between India and Sri Lanka on January 10.

Serpents have occasionally been an issue at the Barsapara complex. A snake crawling across the field interrupted play during the second T20 international match between India and South Africa on October 2, 2022.

“Apart from fogging to keep mosquitoes away, we are spraying the stadium and the complex beyond with anti-snake chemicals,” ACA president Taranga Gogoi told journalists on Saturday.

He also gave an overview of the security arrangements and said some 23,000 tickets for the match have been sold online and offline so far.

Devajit Saikia, the joint secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India said Assam would be hosting the first ODI after a gap of almost five years.

“It was in 2018 that we organised an ODI between India and West Indies. We hope to ensure a well-managed game between India and Sri Lanka for the only cricket stadium of international standard in the northeast to host more bilateral or World Cup matches,” he said.