A tale of two cricket matches....

This is from my earlier blog which I deleted...posting it again


originally posted on March 13, 2007






Cricket is the supreme religion in india.... everybody loves it..and I am no exception. I was fortunate to see the last two cricket matches at the Eden Gardens (though not as fortunate in the second match, when it rained).

The Eden Gardens, aptly named after the abode of Adam and Eve (and satan), is undoubtedly the best cricket ground in India. It looks like there is a lush green carpet that would get dirty if you put even one foot on it. And it becames amazingly awe-inspiring when the floodlights are switched on in a day-night match. If you happen to live in this part of India, I would strongly recommend you to see a match there.

NOVEMBER 2005 : Day-Night ODI between India and South Africa
It was during the end of our semester exams, when we got a chance to see a cricket match in the Eden Gardens. We got a day off in between our exams and I, andy, nishant and dilip grabbed the chance(and tickets) to see the match. The journey to Calcutta itself was very 'adventurous'. It started with a train accident ahead of our train, then boarding a bus full to thrice its capacity to the highway, then a taxi to another station, then again a bus to Howrah. However, we managed to reach there just in time for the first ball to be bowled.

It was a stunning site when we entered the ground. The lush green grass, and Indians and South Africans in their coloured dresses.... aswsome sight. The match was a disaster from the indian point of view as India lost badly, but since it was my first time, I enjoyed it a lot. Every run, every boundary, every wicket was worth watching on this beautiful ground.

Apart from cricket, there was another interesting thing in the match. It was just after the Chappell-Ganguly spat. Ganguly was NOT in the team for that series, and the match was on the home ground of Ganguly. About 20% of the stadium was empty (which normally doesn't happen) just because Ganguly wasn't there. And the crowd was cursing Chappell like anything. They were cursing Dravid, Sachin and the whole of Indian Cricket for throwing Ganguly out. They had absolutely no respect for players like Dravid and Sachin, who are like the Gods of cricket. And to my surprise, when India lost the match, I saw a lot of people CELEBRATING that India had lost as Ganguly was not in the team. What a Shame! Atleast they could've shown some respect for the national cricket team. Ganguly is the Hero of Bengal, but if he is not performing, heroism doesn't matter and he or any other player has to go out. And I think Chappell did the right thing by showing these people 'the middle finger'.

FEBRUARY 2007 : Day-Night ODI between India and Sri Lanka

This was our second chance to see the match at the Eden Gardens, between India and Sri Lanka, and we managed the tickets for it. There were chances of rain, but even the we decided to go.

The journey to the Eden was smooth (unlike the last time), and we reached there 1 hour before the play. The look of the ground was really as amazing as it was for the first time. The Indian and Sri Lankan Cricket teams were warming up, and fortunately our seats were near Indian team. That was the chance when we got to see the 'Gods' of cricket really close. Dhoni, Sachin, Ganguly, Sehwag, Zaheer, Irfan.... they were all there. The match ran for 18 overs before it rained forcing the play to be suspended, which was later cancelled due to excessive rains. It was really very very disappointing.

Unlike the first match, Ganguly was IN the team, and the stadium was packed to its capacity (100 % officially), and it was only and only because 'Dada' had made the 'mother of all comebacks', and the crowd was dying to see their Hero perform. During the warm-up session, Ganguly was near the boundary, and the crowd went crazy every time he caught a ball, or took a catch, or hit the stumps (it was just practice). They did not give a damn to any other player, but it was Ganguly, Ganguly..and Ganguly. I think they had every right to support their hero. And when it was announced that the match was cancelled, the crowd went crazy again. But unlike last time, it was a funny sight. They were cursing everyone... right from BCCI to the clouds, rain gods, Sharad Pawar (head of BCCI), Prasoon Mukherjee (head of Cricket Association of Bengal) and the groundsmen for not drying the ground in time. After all, they had been deprived of the performance by 'Dada'.



Overall, it was really a very nice experience in both the matches. Though I did not see India win any of them, I definitely enjoyed the beauty of the Eden Gardens. And for me, the best moment I had in both the matches was when I saw my hero 'Sachin Tendulkar' near the boudary at an arm's distance. It was a moment I will always cherish in my life. After all, Sachin is to me is what Dada is to bengalis.



p.s : I have nothing against Ganguly or Bengalis, but I really hated 'some' people of that weird mentality in the first match. After all, Cricket is the supreme religion in India.