March 7: In the age of T20 and IPL, Calcuttans soaked themselves in the old-school charm of Test cricket today as India beat Australia in the Bangalore classic.
It was a hark back to the old times as almost every other electronics store had small crowds huddled outside, their eyes fixed on the TV screens inside.
Such sights were common in the city before the shortest format of the game took over.
In Chandni Chowk, from big showrooms to small outlets, every store that had a TV set inside had a crowd outside.
A store manager said it was hard to recollect the last time Calcuttans were so hooked on a Test match.
An LIC employee said he had extended his lunch break by an hour to catch the final minutes of the game even if it meant standing outside a TV store.
A marketing executive in Gariahat stopped his bike some metres ahead of a store and ran to join the crowd outside the store to watch the last over.
People started crowding outside TV stores as Australian wickets tumbled in quick succession after the tea break. " Dada kota wicket porlo? (How many wickets down?)" seemed to be the question on everyone's lips as Ravichandran Ashwin demolished the Aussie line-up.
Rajarshi Bhattacharya, who works with a construction company in Algeria and was vacationing in the city, was in Dalhousie for some work. On his way back, the Tollygunge resident in his late 30s stopped in front of the Great Eastern outlet, which already had a crowd of 15-odd people outside.
"I used to do this when I was in college," he said. "Sixteen wickets in a day... unbelievable!
Nilanjan Das, 28, of Barrackpore, who works in a private company in Esplanade, stopped in front of E Mall in Chandni Chowk. "I work nearby and I was headed to office... but I had to stop to watch the match," Das, an ardent fan of Virat Kohli, said.
A salesman at a store in the mall said there were at least 30 people huddled outside this afternoon.
"I cannot recall the last time we had so many people outside our window during a Test match," he said. "At one point, we had to give in to their demand and tilt a TV set for better viewing."
Prosenjit Chakraborty, 32, who works with a software firm in Sector V, stopped and got off his bike the moment he saw a crowd outside a TV store. "When I saw the crowd, I figured India was playing well and I had to watch it," he said.
He wasn't disappointed as Ashwin quickly sent Peter Handscomb and Nathan Lyon packing in quick succession and India won by 75 runs.
Even after the match, people stayed back to catch a glimpse of the award ceremony. In front of the Great Eastern outlet in Dalhousie, a middle-aged man placed his bet on K.L. Rahul for Man of the Match. A younger enthusiast chose Ashwin. After his prediction came true, the man pointed to his grey hair saying: " Khelata aaj theke dekhchhi na. (It's not the first time I am watching cricket)."
