Mohor Chaudhuri at Eden Gardens
The morning began with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm even though the stands were sparsely populated as the first session started. But Eden Gardens does not stay silent for long. After the lunch interval, it was like someone had turned a switch on: everyone trooped in with their flags, jerseys, painted faces, and the stands started filling up as the day passed.
Then came the noise — “Boom Boom Bumrah!”, “Miyan Bhai!”, “Jadduuu!”. Every time Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja or Mohammad Siraj went close to the boundary, cheers erupted. Siraj had an expensive spell at the start, winning a bit of laughter as there were whispers of “kire ki holo?”, but the patience of Eden’s crowd is as famous as its enthusiasm. Siraj suddenly got his act together and one of the loudest cheers of the day followed. His fielding was also impeccable, making the crowd erupt with joy and appreciation. Eden Gardens then just had to break out into their “DSP!” chants in support of Siraj.
Sportsmanship was in the air too. A pleasant round of applause arose from the stands for South African captain, Temba Bavuma, which acted as a fantastic reminder that Kolkata embraces good cricket, no matter the jersey.
Everywhere we looked, colours told their own stories — kids donned Shubman Gill shirts, teenagers wore jerseys for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and the ever-popular Dhoni-7, along with “Miss You Virat” posters which surfaced as notifications to nostalgia and bygone eras. Not even Kuldeep Yadav was overlooked as the spectators went as far as to sing little jingles to hype him up.
One moment captured the spirit of Eden wonderfully: as KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel both dropped extremely difficult catches, listeners greeted it with a tender harmony of “good try!”, and appreciated the effort rather than the expected groans or shouts of despair.
At the drinks breaks, the stands turned into mini picnic spots — the ice cream, popcorn and chips appeared straight away. Although there were strict rules that meant no backpacks and no water, the crowd adapted to this ordinary Kolkata inconvenience.
When the camera panned to the audience on the giant screens, thousands simultaneously jumped up and waved continuously as they enjoyed their extra moment of fame. Even the players acknowledged this, as they smiled, waved and nodded towards the onlookers in appreciation.
A few stories were relatively anxiety-free and heartwarming, like a fan visiting from Bengaluru. He came over to chat with us for a while, asking for recommendations for the best Bengali restaurants and sweet shops since he wanted to try out the local cuisine. He ended the conversation by saying he was only in Kolkata for the cricket and happily expressed his love and loyal support for RCB.
Eden Gardens is not simply a stadium to visit; it is truly a living, breathing chorus. Every clap, chant, and shared smile turned strangers into kindred spirits, with everyone engaging with each other and discussing the game. This special experience was enough to remind you that Kolkata always tries to uphold its sporting culture. From white ball to red, the excitement remains the same – the nostalgia of old favourites, the thrill of new ones and the pure joy of a city that treats sports as a festival!
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