Calcutta: The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has got the necessary permission from Doordarshan to show footage of Nelson Mandela's speech at the Eden during his visit to the city in October 1990.
Clippings of the speech will be screened for five minutes during the innings break of the final T20I between India and South Africa on Thursday.
The current series is being called The Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series.
After spending half a lifetime behind bars during the apartheid rule, Mandela made his first overseas tour to the city, few days after being released from prison.
Glimpses from that rousing reception will be beamed on the giant screen. "This was the late Jagmohan Dalmiya's idea. We had some problems with getting the footage, but Doordarshan has finally given their consent," said a senior CAB official.
Posters, paying homage to Dalmiya, have been put up all around the ground. The late CAB president will also be remembered through a short documentary, which will be screened for three minutes, after the toss. This will be followed by one minute's silence.
The documentary will feature quotes from Sourav Ganguly and members of the Dalmiya family, among others.
Respecting Dalmiya's stance, there will be no DJ or music at the Eden. "Dalmiya was against such extravaganza... He always felt the game should always get precedence over everything else," recalled CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey.
Ticket sales for Thursday's T20I, however, haven't been encouraging. While online sales have been satisfactory, there have been hardly any takers at the counters. The forecast of rain has also dampened the mood of the public.
"We are expecting around 40,000... This is a T20I and the series has already been decided. The public can't be blamed if they decide not to turn up," said one of the CAB office-bearers.
Meanwhile, Inderjit Singh Bindra, a former president of the BCCI, will be arriving in the city on Thursday afternoon. He will first make a condolence call on the Dalmiya family and then come to the ground to see part of the match.
Bindra was in Manila when Dalmiya passed away and returned to India only a couple of days back.
BCCI joint secretary Amitabh Choudhary will be present during the prize distribution on Thursday.
