BHUBANESWAR: The city had earlier missed out on hosting the national team for a World Cup Qualifier due to the pandemic and the match had to be shifted out to a centralised tournament in Doha in 2021.
And while the city looked desperate to shed the criticism of lukewarm support for the Indian team during Intercontinental Cup in June, as evidenced by the queue at ticket counters outside the venue, there was one man who seemed to be the happiest to be here for the contest.