BANGALORE, Dec 25: Security was tight at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Tuesday for the first of two Twenty20 internationals between India and Pakistan with hundreds of paramilitary troops and local police deployed at the gates to the stadium.

Iron barricades were lined up and riot control vehicles on duty as security men patrolled the stadium in the heart of Bangalore, the capital of the south-eastern state of Karnataka.

“We have completely sanitised and secured the stadium. We are confident that the match will be played without any disruptions,” a security officer said.

Police were seen carrying out heavy frisking at the imposing stadium gates with as many as 200 surveillance cameras mounted on mastheads for constant monitoring of all activity in and around the ground.

A crack police force, including Indian army commandos, were guarding the luxury ITC Gardenia hotel, where both teams are staying.

The teams are set to play another Twenty20 match in the western city of Ahmedabad followed by three one-day matches during the short series, which is the first since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.—AFP