Three dozen cops guard BCCI's Centre of Excellence as Virat Kohli blasts ton

Bengaluru; Despite high-profile domestic cricket returning, watching big-ticket matches from the stadium still remains a distant dream for fans in Bengaluru as the stampede that took place on June 4 during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations continue to influence government authorities' decisions. 

So, the first set of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group D that were hosted in the city -- BCCI's Centre of Excellence and Alur -- were held at venues where spectators aren't allowed.

Delhi were originally scheduled to play in Alur, but after Virat Kohli confirmed his participation, the game was expected to be moved to the M Chinnaswamy. After the Karnataka government rejected KSCA's proposal to hold it behind closed doors, the game was shifted to BCCI's CoE. 

The security at the venue was beefed up with strict measures carried out as Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Ishant Sharma turned up for Delhi. 

Two police vehicles with close to three dozen 35 cops were present outside the gate and were ordered to clear and control the public outside the ground. 

The cops were on guard well before 8:00 am, an hour before the scheduled start of play. 

"The police officials have been told to clear the public surrounding the stadium. We have been informed to take extra care of the security outside of the stadium as we won't have much to do without the public inside the ground," an official from the Karnataka police told DH. 

While the venue was a last-minute shift, the Delhi-Andhra match was played at the CoE’s Ground 2 as Ground 1 was not “ready”.

However, it will host Delhi’s second game against Gujarat on Friday.