Darren Gough offers some fast bowling tips

For the last one-dayer here a year ago against Zimbabwe, there was a huge row about many tickets finding their way into the hands of touts and in an effort to eradicate black market trade,the police have taken responsibility for ticket allocation.

But judging by the fatalistic attitude from many cricket fanatics in that massive queue, they're not convinced that it's all above board.

At one stage, police charged the crowd with lathis to impose order and an ambulance was summoned to take the injured to hospital.

Hotel hoardes

In the midday heat, water was sprayed over the fans and water bottles were sold at vastly-inflated prices.

I wasn't surprised to hear about such fervour because when we arrived at the airport from Calcutta, we were greeted by around 2,000 locals who cheered and clapped not just the Indian and English cricketers but the media as well!

We got the full rock star treatment - flowers, the red spot on the forehead, the clasp of the palms and the deep bow.

Fans treat the players like film stars

When we left the ground after practice, fans lined the road outside, waving and cheering as we sped away in clouds of dust - all this in the gathering dusk, with no prospect of getting anywhere near the players.

It was the same when we arrived back at our hotel, with the militia holding back the fans, desperate to catch a glimpse from the road of England cricketers walking into the foyer.

And they had been happy to stand around for a couple of hours for those precious,fleeting seconds.

Long journey

It does give a perspective on any gripes we might have on this tour. These supporters just want to convey the excitement they feel about the match and that England are here for the first time in nine years.

With Sachin Tendulkar and his team-mates just down the road, I can't imagine the security hassles at that hotel.

Just two years ago, in this state of Orissa, a cyclone claimed the lives of around 50,000 people and clearly cricket, like religion, is a vital antidote to the realities of such tragedies.

James Foster puts in some batting practice

We've been told to expect around 25,000 outside the ground and to get there in time, an hour's drive away, the England coach will leave at 6.30 in the morning for a nine o'clock start.

Never will the police escort be more valuable as the coach snakes its way through the impossibly crowded minor roads.

Hopefully, the media bus will hitch a ride just behind, so that we can get there in time as well.

No point in playing an international match unless the media is there to report it.