Cricket fever gripped Cuttack on Wednesday as thousands of fans descended upon Barabati Stadium, desperate to secure offline tickets for the India vs England ODI on Sunday.
The scene quickly devolved into a stampede-like situation, forcing police to deploy water cannons to disperse the unruly crowd.
Anticipation for the match, Cuttack's first international game in nearly three years, has reached fever pitch.
While online ticket sales began on February 2nd, many fans who were unsuccessful in the digital scramble were given a second chance with offline sales on February 5th and 6th. This announcement ignited a ticket-buying frenzy.
Long before dawn on Wednesday, eager fans began forming a queue outside the stadium, some even camping overnight to guarantee their place.
When ticket counters finally opened at 9 am, the sheer volume of people created chaos.
The situation rapidly spiraled out of control, with fans jostling and pushing, leading to the intervention of law enforcement.
Water cannons were used to try and manage the surging crowd and restore order.
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