When the crowd was the 12th man!
The Kolkata Test was yet another testimony to the existence of Test cricket amongst the ranks in an eon where the shorter formats of the game are fighting for survival.
However, an important observation to be made was the drastic difference in the crowd capacity witnessed in the first two Tests. While the first Test at Nagpur saw schoolchildren, not to mention the BCCI entourage making the rounds of the stadium on all four-days of game.
The Eden Gardens is an experience altogether and needs to be seen to be believed. Any player who has been butchered and battered by the media monickers can trust the crowd to be his 12th ma. The crowd will get behind you, appeal to the umpire along with you and when you bag a wicket, they will celebrate you as though they are one happy family cheering aloud. Ask Harbhajan Singh who literally revived his fast-floundering career at the Gardens.
What a crowd can do was aptly demonstrated by the Eden Gardens. The Indian team’s wheels were off in the first game but the partisan crowd ensured a smooth ride for the hosts against the mighty Proteas.
The Eden Gardens crowd reminded the BCCI of the importance of their presence in any part of the game. How many were witness to Sachin Tendulkar crossing Brian Lara’s magical score to become the highest run-getter in Tests in the Mohali Test against Australia in 2008 — a handful.
But the crowd has given a great reception in venues such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Kanpur, New Delhi and at the Eden Gardens. They have backed the faith of the administration that Test cricket is alive and how.
Other venues such as Nagpur, Ahmedabad have just been sorry exhibitions of Tests which literally empty stands and the games hardly any exciting either. The ball is now in BCCI’s court to give more number of Tests to venues that bring in the crowds and spice up the longest and oldest format of the game, taking it to dizzying heights.
