(The author is travelling Bhubaneswar to cover the FIH Men's Champions Trophy hockey tournament)
Bhubaneswar: An out-and-out working day in Bhubaneswar with four quarter-finals lined up, so not much to savour in terms of city tours. Work took centre stage, and quite rightly so.
It was a lazy morning to start things off, with the wake-up alarm at my mercy. It dare not disturb my sleep up until I wanted to, since the reporting time at the Kalinga stadium was 11 am. So I got enough snooze-off opportunities, until the routine turned into a boring exercise and I got rid of the quilt.
Long queues for tickets outside the stadium was a welcoming sight for any hockey fan. And the Bhubaneswar crowd was backing their country.
The first game was not everybody's favourite. Pakistan were playing Netherlands, and as one of the spectators said, "The Pakis will be thumped, at least 8 goals off Dutch sticks", everyone expected an overwhelming win for the Oranje.
A shock win for Pakistan woke everyone up in the media box out of their slumber. A rush to the media zone for reaction from the Pakistan coach followed. What fueled interest in Pakistan's victory was that they would meet India if the hosts managed to beat Belgium in the last quarter-final of the day.
And it turned out exactly the way India wanted.
A capacity crowd had a blast as the Nayapalli Road reverberated with oohs, aahs and screams emanating from the stadium as India overturned a 0-2 deficit to beat the Belgian Red Army 4-2 in the end. Pakistan beckons!
After finishing work underneath the stadium flood lights, I was with my UK gang after the win to celebrate India's entry into the semis.
Our group headed straight to The Trident Hotel where Team India was stationed, and as soon as our bus driver pressed the brake pedal, we rushed into the hotel lobby where the Trident staff and Hockey India, represented by its CEO Elena Norman, gave the team a resounding welcome as champagne flew in all directions.
It was a sight to behold, and if this followed a win over Belgium, imagine the mayhem when we go on to beat Pakistan on Saturday for a maiden entry into the Champions Trophy finals. Gosh!
(Do come back to read what the author experienced on Day 4)
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