The modest crowd at Eden Gardens got their money’s worth on the opening day of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Saturday.
Fans were in for plenty of treats as West Indies beat Scotland by 35 runs, with Romario Shepherd claiming a hat- trick and some smashing boundaries lighting up the afternoon.
Queues formed outside the gates from around 12.30pm, with spectators eager to soak in the atmosphere of an international match at one of cricket’s most iconic venues.
Some supporters had travelled all the way from Scotland to watch their team compete on the world stage.
Jerry Bishop, who was at the game with a friend, said they had made a last-minute decision to fly to India. Hailing from southern Scotland and wearing a Scotland jersey, Bishop said he was thrilled to see his country participating in the World Cup.
Alan (right) and Sarah, Masaki, Kishor Kumar (in blue cap) with his wife Sabina Chitrakar
“We are very happy that Scotland finally got to participate in the World Cup. It was a very last-minute decision for us to come to India. We had to get our visas and passports done as soon as we could,” he said.
Scotland qualified for the biennial tournament after Bangladesh pulled out, citing security concerns.
“We love watching cricket. We came for the T20 World Cup in 2016 and watched a match at Nagpur between Scotland and Afghanistan,” Bishop added.
Not all overseas fans had planned their visit around the tournament. Alan and Sarah, from Nottingham in England, landed in Calcutta earlier on Saturday and decided to head to Eden Gardens after learning about the match from hotel staff.
“I have watched several matches at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in Nottingham, but I have always wanted to watch a cricket match at an Indian stadium, especially at the iconic Eden Gardens,” said Alan.
India played the USA in Mumbai later in the evening, but that did not stop Indian team jerseys from dominating the stands at Eden on Saturday afternoon. Many fans wore blue shirts bearing the names of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli or Hardik Pandya.
Among the sea of Virat jerseys was a group of six friends from Cossipore, all sporting jersey No. 18.
Adnan Ayod, 18, who came with his friends from north Calcutta, said they were at Eden purely for the love of the game. He carried a poster that read: “Dear Virat, thank you for everything. In white jersey, you were the colour of cricket. Test and T20 will never be the same again.”
“We came to enjoy the cricket match today. We love watching cricket and it is our love for the sport that brings us to the stands,” Ayod said.
For some young cricketers, the match was also a learning experience. Pritish Mohanta, 13, an all-rounder who trains at a coaching centre in Teghoria, said this was his first live match at Eden Gardens.
“I am an all-rounder and this is the first time I will be watching a live match at Eden,” he said.
The crowd also included first-time cricket watchers. Masaki, 20, from Japan, said he was attending his first-ever cricket match. A baseball enthusiast back home, he said he wanted to experience something new during his one-month tour of India.
“My favourite sport is baseball, which is quite popular in our country. This is my first time watching a cricket match, and it is going to be a very new experience for me,” Masaki said.
Kishor Kumar, 56, and his wife Sabina Chitrakar, 50, who came from Kathmandu, said they had planned their trip around the tournament.
“It is the World Cup that matters to us the most and we are going to enjoy a fresh match between two new teams,” Kishor said.
He added that they would fly to Mumbai on Monday to watch Nepal’s match against England. “This year the World Cup is very exciting for us as our country is playing for the first time,” he said.
