Indian team and New Zealand Team arrived in Kanpur for a one-day encounter at the Green Park Stadium and both team received a saffron welcome. The entire hotel was bathed in the golden light of 10,000 diyas (earthen lamps) filled with ghee; they decorated the porch and the heights. Earlier, the hotel would use flickering, colourful lights for decoration. As the cricketers entered the hotel, an ‘aarti’ was performed and a saffron ‘tilak’, in place of red, was applied on their forehead. The tradition of presenting flowers to players has been done away with and they were presented a saffron stole, like the ‘Ram Nami dushala’. The cake-cutting ceremony on the 10th floor of the hotel has also been junked and replaced with a religious ritual. Earlier, the team captain used to cut a cake in the presence of team members, which was a pre-match ceremony for a good outing at the stadium.