Eden Gardens ready to host Pink ball Test: Recapping other moments of glory in Kolkata
With less than 24 hours to go for the historic Day-night Test between India and Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens, the talks at tea stalls or dinner tables in Kolkata would be probably revolving around how the pacers are going to swing the pink ball or how dew will play a major role when the floodlights are on. People in Kolkata love cricket and thus all these debates and discussions are bound to happen.
It was the enthusiastic crowd at the Eden Gardens which made the 1987 World Cup final look like a World Cup final even though India were knocked out by England in the semi-final as the cricket lovers thronged the stadium in huge numbers to give Australia a feel of lifting the World Cup trophy at Melbourne.
Eden Gardens could unofficially be called the 'home of cricket' in India because it is this iconic stadium that has witnessed many firsts in the history of Indian cricket. From hosting the first World Cup final outside Lords (1987) to VVS Laxman's 281 against Australia in 2001 or Rohit Sharma's 264 off 173 against Sri Lanka, Eden Gardens has seen it all. And once again, it is gearing up for another historic occasion as India will be playing their first Test under floodlights here.
The venue will be hosting its 42nd Test match, which is the most hosted at an Indian venue. In this century, India have played 11 Tests at Eden Gardens of which they have won 7 and lost just 1 (against England in 2012).
A day before India's first pink ball Test, here we turn back the pages of time to revisit the historic occasions braced by Eden Gardens.
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