Make way for the whites.

Test cricket returns to Eden Gardens after six years on Friday. If the snaking queues outside the ticket counters on the eve of the match were anything to go by, the stadium should be buzzing on Day 1.

Locking horns with a new-look India is South Africa, the world Test champions. The prospect of a lip-smacking contest looms.

In a cricket world dominated by the glitz of T20, the queues for Test tickets were a refreshing sight to many at Eden.

The Cricket Association of Bengal expects a full house on Saturday and Sunday. The weather is near-perfect — sunny but mild, with a hint of chill.

The last time India played a Test at Eden was against Bangladesh in November 2019, just before Covid cast its shadow. It was the inaugural pink-ball Test in India. A lot of water has flowed down the Hooghly since.

Virat Kohli, then India captain, had scored a century. Kohli is no longer a Test player, and the captain’s baton has since passed to Shubman Gill. From the team fielded in 2019, only one player, Ravindra Jadeja, is part of the current squad.

When the Indian team bus arrived outside the stadium for practice on Thursday morning, the loudest cheer awaited the new captain.

Debarun Mukherjee from Hooghly’s Pandua was one of the cheerleaders. He was there for the 2019 Test as well. He was a college student then and was accompanied by his father to Eden. On Thursday, he came alone.

“I still remember Kohli’s century in that game. I am looking forward to similar knocks by the Indians in this series. Cricket today feels more like entertainment than sport. IPL and the T20 format are about quick thrills. But the real essence of the game lies in a Test match,” said Mukherjee, 24, who had tickets for Day 3.

Outside the Mohammedan Sporting Club counters, some stood for up to an hour to collect their tickets.

Former bank officer Deepak Mishra and his wife have come from Mumbai
to see India take on South
Africa.

“My wife and I usually don’t watch T20s, but when it comes to Test cricket we go as far as travelling from one city to another,” said Mishra, 54, who is putting up at Calcutta Club for the next five days.

An Australian from Brisbane tweaked his India tour to watch the match. Neil, who uses his first name, was supposed to stop in Delhi first. “But when I heard about this match, I booked my tickets to Calcutta immediately,” he said.

Neil would be rooting for Jasprit Bumrah, a player he has been following since he saw his six-wicket spell live at the drawn Test at the Gabba in December 2024.

“I still remember Bumrah’s six-wicket spell. Test cricket is about precision — one misjudgement, and you’re out. Australia won that series, but I became a Bumrah fan. I am here to support India, and he is truly world-class,” Neil added.

Many came with their friends. Among them were Disha Roy, who completed her master’s in biotechnology, and Sudipta Saha, who graduated in psychology.

“The Indian women’s team winning the World Cup filled us with pride. I was here at Eden Gardens in 2019, and I am back in 2025,” said Roy, 26.