Durban, Jan 28: A massive "welcome" banner, Zulu dancers and a sitar recital will form part of the rousing welcome that the Indian cricket team will receive when they arrive here for their World Cup campaign. The hotel where the players will be staying will roll out a "green carpet" resembling a cricket pitch, complete with white markings, stumps and bails at each end.
"It's a variation of the red carpet treatment, but much more appropriate", said Ravi Nadasen, the assistant general manager of the Holiday Inn-Elangeni hotel.
A massive welcome board would greet the players in the hotel foyer. Zulu dancers and a sitar recital by an Indian artiste would also be on hand to gear up Ganguly's men, he said.
Durban will be the base city for the Indian cricket team during the World Cup. The Indians will also play their first warm-up match on Saturday in nearby Chatsworth against the local provincial team.
"The community of Chatsworth has been fighting for a long time to have this match. We are very pleased to host the Indian cricketers," chairman of the cricket transformation committee in Kwazulu-Natal, Saha Govender said.
The match would also coincide with the inauguration of the cricket Oval in Chatsworth, Govender said, adding he was expecting a full house on Saturday.
More than 500,000 people of Indian origin live in and around Chatsworth. Bureau Report