Eden Gardens

Kolkata, India

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Along with the MCG, the Eden Gardens remains cricket's answer to the Coliseum. It first hosted a Test back in the days of India's cricketing infancy, with Douglas Jardine's team easing to victory inside four days in 1934. Since then, it has become something of a place of pilgrimage for most international cricketers, a chance to strut their stuff in front of the most passionate and vocal crowd in the game. At times though, the fervour has spilled into excess, with riots disrupting matches against the West Indies (1966-67) and Australia (1969-70), and a shameful exhibition of boorishness causing the World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka (1996) to be called off with the visitors on the threshold of victory.

There have been other, better, times too when the verve and energy of the crowd has made it a twelfth man of sorts and stirred India's finest to great feats, none more so than that hallowed day in March 2001 when VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid set the stage for the greatest come-from-behind victory of modern times, against an Australian team poised for an unprecedented 17th straight Test win. Despite packing in 90,000 on red-letter days, it hasn't been a lucky charm for India until recently, when the spin wiles of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble inspired famous victories against Australia and Pakistan.
(Dileep Premachandran)

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Latest Articles

• 'Lee's toughest to face' (Feb 23, 2008)
• Indian squad's camp shifted to Eden Gardens (Oct 26, 2007)
• Don't lease Eden Gardens to CAB, says sports minister (Sep 22, 2007)
• Kolkata to host first one-dayer (Jan 28, 2007)
• I predict a riot (Apr 11, 2006)

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Latest Photos

Jun 28, 2005

India Eden Gardens
© Getty Images

Dec 30, 2003

Russel Arnold holds aloft the Kenstar trophy
© AFP

Dec 30, 2003

Sri Lankan cricketers celebrate the dismissal of India A batsman Sridharan Sreeram
© AFP

Dec 25, 2003

Naved Latif acknowledges the applause
© AFP

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