It is a festival in Kolkata whenever the Eden Gardens hosts India. Again on Sunday evening, Eden Gardens will not just be staging a virtual quarter-final between India and the West Indies; it will be staging an event. It will be a full-blown spectacle. The stakes are high, the tickets are gone, and the stage is set for India to confirm their T20 World Cup semi-final against England.
As per Revsportz, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has lined up a two-and-a-half-minute entertainment segment that will turn the second innings break into cinematic. A laser show synced to ‘Sabse Aage Honge Hindustani’ will light up the Kolkata sky, while the playlist will be a Bengali patriotic number and a track from Dhurandhar.
The emotional high point, though, is expected to be ‘Vande Mataram’. The DJ will call out “Vande”, and the 70,000-strong crowd is expected to respond with “Mataram” in unison, mobile flashlights switched on, making the Eden into a bowl of white light. If it lands the way organisers hope it does, it could be one that the Kolkata fans won’t forget anytime soon.
First match with Ganguly as CAB President
During the earlier group games at Eden in this T20 World Cup, ticket counters had been relatively calm. India weren’t playing, and the city’s energy reflected that. That changed the moment India’s clash with the West Indies became a knockout of sorts. It is a do-or-die clash, with the loser bowing out of the competition.
Queues formed early outside the Mohammedan Sporting Club counters. Most tickets had already been snapped up online. Those turning up were largely collecting pre-booked passes. Sourav Ganguly, back as CAB president, compared the rush to the 2016 India–Pakistan encounter at the same venue. He also struck a note of caution on the cricketing side. “It’s a 50-50 game,” Ganguly said, pointing out the firepower West Indies possess and singling out Jasprit Bumrah as India’s key man. “You can’t just say India are ahead because the West Indies have several good power-hitters. If even one or two of them click, they can take the game away. India will have to play their best cricket.”
More importantly, with West Bengal’s political temperature also rising ahead of Assembly elections and the final electoral list due for publication, security will be heavy. Police deployment is expected to be two to three times higher than earlier matches in the tournament.
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