This weekend @ EDEN

Hi all,

this weekend was the unplanned yet an interesting one.. i had no plans to visit the match Ind Vs SA in Eden Gardens.. just the day before the match got a single ticket , with no company seeing match in ground would be boaring i thought.. so had decided not to go. later thought , when is this chance gonna come again, an India Match, in weekend, that too with ticket free ;-) so decided to go for it...

left to the grounds very early from house (exam-ku kooda ivlo sincere-aa alarm vachu seekiram yelundha madhiri yenaku niyabagam illa),..

when i had just reached the premises before the ground itself.. could feel the excitement over there... hell lot of polices and other security stuffs.. that much crowd in early morning.. i didnt expect at all.. with winters chillness and mist all over the place.. wow it looked wonderfull....
could see lots of food stalls slowly comming up... ppl selling Indian flags, dresses made out of them,indian team tshirts.. indian flag as head bands..

and for just 5 Rs you could paint your face with the Indian Flag.. there were lot of ppl.. with oil color and brushes roaming solely for this purpouse..
my entry gate was next to the famous CLUB HOUSE of Eden (yeah the entrance where the cricketers get into,the place where their dressing rooms are near by,the place above which the commentry box is located..)...

first i didnt knew this.. was wondering why so much crowd is not getting into the stadium instead waiting near this gate.. untill the big Travel Bus came, then i realized its the gate where the players enter the ground from Hotel.
first was the SouthAfrican team to arrive.. the crowds excitement and shouts increased by the next vechicle..

not the Indians, rather it was the SouthAfrican Spouses ;-) yeah the players family.. with some English _ _ _ _ _ _ , in the road itself to wish their husbands, they became heroines of the day..

next was the Indian Team.. , the crowd was cheering at their top voice.. with police men over the horses, roaming behind us.. i couldnt njoy the moment fully ;-) as usual.. sachin was the favourite ... and Irfan & Zahir too... our Bajii (harbajan) was the one teased when entering the ground itself.. :-)

the most expected was our DADA, but DADA disappointed.. in the start itself.. he hadnt arrived with the team..

then entered the stadium... with lots of expectations.. in seeing a worldwide famous stadium.. but was disappointed in seeing a typical kolkata building.. yeah too weary one with lots of pan all over the stairs... but as i reached the gallery.. the view of the ground was too amazing.. making me forget others....

gallery hadnt been filled... so sat in many places trying to find which could give me the best view.. and atlast choosed a comfortable one.. not too close/too far to the grounds ... so that could have a good view of the ground as well as the players.
slowly... the players started comming for warming up practice.. my gallery was 2 galleries away from the clubhouse/players dressing room..

the SA players started their warming up before our gallery.. while the indians at the opposite ends.. could have a look at all their players and the funny way they were warming up...
then the TOSS, whenever DADA entering the ground.. the crowd was cheering at high pitch.. the wisteles.. the horn blows.. running in the gallery with the big flag.. face paintings... and lots of other ways of cheering the team.. wow.. this is what i wanted to experience in a live match...
the live view of the various TV Commentators in the pich.. doing a pitch report.. , captains inspecting the pitch.. all these small small things.. which we used to watch in TV.... was a real diff exp..
the crowds roar was getting into me.. with the first ball of the match being bowled and the first wicket falling in the second ball itself..
just was missing the commentary, and the action replays.. was able to get the glimpse of the ball only when the wicketkeeper was throwing it high in joy after his catch.. (really TV is better in these things ;-)... with the commentry missing.. it was like watching a movie in mute... the crowds roar & cheering was compensating a lot for this...

Missed the TV Action Replays when each wicket was falling... especially the superb wickets which fell as the Middle Stumps.. cha.. oru second.. ball varadhey therila.. stump mattum parakudhu...

then.. Kallis century was another exciting moment in the crowd.. the way they cheered him... made me think.. was these ppl who reacted in Ind Pak test match and Ind vs SL worldcup..

seeing couple of gud catches,bowleds... a century.. was satisfied a lot.. in wasting(?) the weekend over there ;-)

had planned to leave the ground in TEA break itself.. thinking that.. test match would be testing the patience.. but it was just opposite.. njoying each and everymoment in the ground.. decided to watch the entire days play..

the funny part was.. if we could watch the bowlers reaction fully.. you'l miss the batsman in action..... then if you switch to the batsmans reactions.. you'l miss the fielders ... it was real fun for me.. switching my concentration from one to the other.. for each ball..

whenever our DADA dived even for a silly ball.. or missed a simple fielding the crowd was cheering him with roars of DADA & blowing horns.. but when poor bajji or veeru tried thier best but left the ball to the boundary.. everyone scolding them badly..

there were many college gangs here and there over the ground... trying their best to make MEXICAN WAVES (yeah the sameone you could see more in a football league..) .. made me feel that.. chennai-la irundha.. oru match-ku poi kalaki irukalam....

then with kolkata's climate.. 4:30 it started to became dark and the flood lights were on.. and my wishes of watching the eden in flood lights was also granted ;-)
a 14*15 matrix was one flood light post.. (sat and counted it :) heheheehhe) eventhough.. the umpires decided to end the days play..

sari.. play mudinjadhum polamnu paartha.. the rest of the SA players came for the days practice and the indian players started warming up.. again it was the SA players who were near our gallery.. now with the crowd dispersing.. i went near the fence near the boundary line.. i could have a clear glimpse of all...

with the flood lights on.. players comming in thier colorfull dresses.. it was a superb view..

then left the ground around 40 minutes after that....

an Unplanned,Exciting & Interesting Day i had.... with a satisfaction that one of my wishes of visiting Eden and seeing a cricket match .. had been fullfilled...