The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Uppal which has a seating capacity of 55,000 was packed with crowd when the match got underway at 7 p.m. The ticket holders were gathering at the stadium since morning but they were allowed entry inside as announced earlier at 4 p.m.
Of the twelve gates to the stadium, two of them (10 & 12) were closed and entry for common spectators given from gates 4 to 9. Gate 1 was meant only for players and VIPs.
About 2,500 police personnel were posted for security and 300 CCTV cameras installed and connected to the Police Command Control. The Hyderabad Cricket Association issued 20 types of passes and arranged 21 parking lots. Mounted police were also deployed on main thoroughfares nearby to disperse crowds that were likely to create trouble. The police arrested three youths who were selling tickets of ₹ 850 for ₹ 11,000 each.
As this was the first international match after a gap of three years, the authorities took extra care to check the emotional upsurge of the crowd. Barring mobile phones, the spectators were not allowed to carry anything else inside. Some of them attracted attention by painting their body and sporting the chest numbers of their favourite players on their shirts.
Huge Batukammas made of colourful papers attracted the attention near the stadium. Virat Kohli was the first player to arrive in a car with police escort at 4 p.m. The two teams arrived in separate buses from their respective hotels at 5 p.m.
The Australian team played golf at Golf Edge in Boulder Hills campus at Gachibowli four hours in the morning. The team shopped in the previous evening on reaching the city.
A person dressed as a monster and wearing eight artificial arms on either side displayed his love for Team India with a national flag stuck in one of the hands. He wore a crown and had an overflowing red tongue.
The Hyderabad Metro operated special services from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. by allowing boarding of passengers only at Uppal stadium and NGRI stations. The passengers could catch connecting trains from Ameerpet and JBS stations to travel to destinations on different corridors. The road transport corporation operated specials from 2 p.m.
