A new innings at Eden

Eden Garden is ready to show the world that it is one of the best stadiums anywhere.

What Lords is to English cricket, Eden Garden is to Indian cricket. The mecca of cricket — a stadium with a great history and one of the most boisterous crowds anywhere in the world. Opposition players find it intimidating to play here. Umpires are nervous because the decibel level is so high, they are never sure whether they will hear the faint nick from the bat.

It has been an eventful last month for Kolkata and Eden. The much-anticipated match between India and England was moved to Bangalore as the stadium didn't meet the deadline set by the International Cricket Council (ICC). However, the saving grace is that the restoration work at stadium is complete and the city eagerly awaits to be a part of the cricket carnival.

The stadium has been restored after 23 years. “It cost us Rs 70 crore, which was sourced partly from the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) funds and partly from the Infrastructure and Development Fund of the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India),” says Biswarup Dey, joint secretary, CAB.

Facilities for players have got a facelift. The players’ dressing room is now equipped with facilities like massage parlour, sauna and steam bath facilities, and ice buckets. A new ‘doping room’ has been built as per ICC guidelines, where doctors will carry out dope tests on players. The side screen has been enlarged from 16’ to 25’. A new media conference room has been built adjacent to the new media centre with wi-fi facilities. Security has been improved with a new enclosure called the ‘Venue Operation Centre’, with closed-circuit television in place.

An acquaintance once remarked that for a stadium considered one of the best in the world, the facilities for spectators were anything but world class. Not anymore. The concrete seats have been replaced with bucket seats which give better leg room and are more comfortable. But that has come at a price as the seating capacity has been reduced from 110,000 to 63,000. In addition, a separate food court and toilets have been built in the upper tiers of the stadium. Besides, 32 new ‘suites’ have been built. These suites, or corporate boxes, are furnished with 20 couches and catering services. CAB will rent out these boxes to companies for 10 years for Rs 70 lakh.

Over the years, Eden has had its fair share of controversies. Be it crowd trouble in the 1996 World Cup semi final when India meekly surrendered to Sri Lanka, or when lights went off in the middle of an Indian Premeir League match last year. The authorities have ensured that this time no such mishaps take place, at least in terms of infrastructure. “To ensure power supply we have installed two generators per tower,” informs Dey.

Though Kolkata is looking forward to host three World Cup matches, there is a sense of disappointment. “We had just started our restoration work when ICC officials did their inspection and despite our assurances, shifted the venue,” says Dey. But that’s a thing of the past. Eden Garden wants to restore its image as one of the best stadiums in the world.