Expected good times turned a nightmare, say cricket lovers

 HYDERABAD: Thursday’s stampede and lathicharge at the Gymkhana ground was a nightmare for cricket lovers who had queued up for tickets for the 3rd India vs Australia T20 match here on Sunday. Many amongst those injured were fans who had been visiting the stadium for three days.

Sai Kishore, a 23-year-old from Bahadurpally, who was hit on the head by the police, has been visiting the stadium since Tuesday. “I and my cousins and friends were keen to watch the match together. We were hoping to get the tickets as we were in the front of the line. But things went awry and I was hit on the head with a lathi”.

Many complained that HCA did not provide any information about the sale timings and the number of tickets for sale. Police security was ridiculous in the absence of barricades, protocols or directions.

D. Sujatha, 26, from Kukatpally, said, “We were going to the stadium for the last two days but returned without tickets. The police failed to control the crowd. When the situation went out of hand, they started hitting everyone at random.”

S. Samridh, a 17-year-old player in the under-17 HCA team, was hoping to see Sharma and Kohli playing at the stadium. Samridh said, “I was looking forward to watching my first international match. But the HCA failed us because of their poor management and even the police were not supportive. I sustained minor injuries”.