Rajasthan Royals: Security cover a hurdle for other sportsmen

JAIPUR: The security cover for the Rajasthan Royals preparatory camp, ahead of the IPL-3 is becoming a problem for other sportsmen who come to the Sawai Man Singh Stadium for their regular practice.
Rajasthan Royals have acquired the cricket stadium for their preparatory camp and the spectators are being kept at bay. On Saturday, the Royals squad played two practice matches among themselves.One side wass captained by Royals skipper and coach Australian Shane Warne and the other by English all- rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas.
The first of the two matches started around 1.30 pm and scribes along with spectators were stopped right at the front main gate of the stadium. A little later some of the sportsmen who came for their regular practice on the grounds were also stopped.
"It is ironical that despite being a multi-purpose stadium, cricket alone is given importance. We had protested when the government signed the MoU with RCA. This was because they don't show respect to other sports disciplines. They can practise inside the cricket field but why bother us?" asked an athlete who was stopped at the gate.
A judoka too fumed for being stopped at the gate. "Why is there so much fuss regarding security for the cricketers. We too had an International Rajiv Gandhi Judo tournament. There were nine foreign teams participating but there was no security for them. Do only cricketers need security?" he asked.
The media too once again was kept at bay. Despite several efforts they were not allowed inside. It was the Rajasthan State Council employees who came to their rescue and took them inside saying they were going to the cricket stadium.
Meanwhile, Shane Warne who had guided his raw side to the title in the first edition of the IPL, wasted no time to get into the groove. "Everything should be in accordance with the 20-20 IPL rules. The same time limit and same strict consistency regarding the wides on either side of the stumps." He had instructed the players, umpires and the staff.
The players on ground too were as serious as the captain. Batsmen like Swapnil Asnodkar, Shrikant Wagh, Sumit Narwal and others played freely and stroked the ball nicely on a batting wicket. Bowlers like Kamran Khan and Dimitri Mascarenhas produced good spells. The second match was played under flood lights with different combinations.