BANGALORE, March 27: Sniffer dogs are playing a big role here in ensuring that the current tour between the two sides passes off smoothly.

Long before the first spectators arrive at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the dogs, at least three of them on a leash, make an inspection of the pitch and are then taken around the outfield and other areas at the venue.

Security has been as important an aspect of this tour as it was during last year’s series in Pakistan. The hotel where the teams are staying is heavily guarded and the team buses are escorted by police vehicles with sirens wailing.

This tour, Pakistan’s first in almost six years, suffered hiccups after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) refused to play a Test match at Ahmedabad, which was the scene of Hindu-Muslim riots two years ago. Subsequently, the team agreed to play a one-day match there.

There is large police presence at all the gates of the stadium but fortunately roads leading up to the venue have not been cordoned off, as they had done in Kolkata where the main avenue in front of Eden Gardens was closed to traffic that caused inconvenience to fans and motorists.

And while Kolkata had witnessed a low attendance, Bangalore fans have been swarming the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has a capacity for about 40,000-plus. The stands were full on the first four days of the match and there were hundreds outside queuing up to get in.

Fans do bring colour to the game and those in Bangalore have enjoyed the action on the field, cheering every boundary and each wicket to fall. It did not matter whether the fours were coming off Inzamamul Haq’s bat or Sachin Tendulkar’s or that the wicket-taker was Muhammad Sami or Harbhajan Singh.

And the standing ovation that Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan got after firing an epic 267 on the second day of the match only went to show how sporting the crowd was. Although the tourists also had good support in Mohali where the first Test of the series was played, those at the Eden Gardens were impressed only by whatever Team India did.

When Shahid Afridi cut loose in his run-a-ball 59 in the second innings at Kolkata, there was no cheering from the stands. It was pin drop silence at the gigantic stadium that can hold up to a 100,000 spectators. India won that match by 195 runs to go 1-0 up in the series.

But the evidence of growing friendship between the fans from both sides of the border could only be seen at Mohali and Bangalore where rival supporters sat side by side in the stands, waving flags and enjoying the show with Pakistan’s top fan Abdul Jalil, popularly know as ‘Chacha Jalil’ hogging the spotlight.

The old man’s pictures have been splashed in newspapers and he has appeared in television programmes in his usual Pakistan green outfit — he is as famous in India as any cricket player.