News: Security tightened at Jaipur for Ist ODI

After the terror threats to the Sawai Mansingh cricket stadium in Jaipur which is scheduled to host the first ODI between India and South Africa, security has been beefed up and the stadium has virtually turned into a fortress filled with security guards and policemen all over.

The Indian and the South African teams seemed unfazed by the threats and came down for practice in the ground like a regular business. "Frankly speaking, if you have 200 policemen and if from 200 it is raised to 400 it doesn't affect you. You see loads of policemen but at the end of the day when you enter the field you see only 11 players, 2 umpires and 2 batsmen. The crowd inside the stadium especially in the field remains the same and it is for our own security so I don't think it is a problem for us," said Indian skipper MS Dhoni.

Meanwhile, SA stand-in skipper Jacques Kallis said that, "It is sad when you have so much security with the threats because at the end we are coming to a country like this all we are interested in is playing cricket. We have been advised by all the security guys, the correct measures have been taken, the security is in place and it is as good as security can get. In the end, the guys are comfortable and we know we are just here to play cricket and the security guys are there to do their job.”

It is being reported that around 2000 policemen including private security guards and para-military personnel would be guarding the 28000-capacity stadium along with help from more than 100 CCTVs and dog squads specially brought in from Hyderabad. The Jaipur police have even a red alert has been placed on all the inter-state borders too.