Then came IPL 2011, and got tickets for the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore match. On the D-Day we had some rain scare, was hoping that my first match at Eden doesn´t get washed out. It didn´t but some other kind of storm had come, that I will come to later.
The JOURNEY:
After getting down from Esplanade metro with my friends the walk towards Eden was splendid. The first thing I could notice was the amount of alternate branding (duplicate maal) that was there right from the time I came out of the metro. Be it KKR jersey, head gear, flags, hooters, you name it they had it at dirt cheap price. It was good to see the amount of indirect business that is generated through a single match and gives the youth a chance to earn a day´s livelihood. We continued the walk in the sea of crowd toward EDEN (its strange how it feels we are not part of the crowd until we look back). You never needed to look for direction, the crowd´s push will take you towards your destination.
The giant flood lights were visible right from the time we got out, but slowly the mammoth structure of EDEN was getting visible. What to say about the new look EDEN, she looks stunning. Ours was Gate No.10, F Block. We reached Gate 10, after ticket checks and frisking we were allowed in. We got ourselves bags full of water pouches and began our walk towards the stands. My heart started pounding, the Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo song was pumping the stadium with joy and adrenaline.
The First Look:
As I walked into the stadium and got the first sight of the greens, what a feeling it was. A lush green designer trimmed outfield, with stands embracing the field in it´s lap. Purple and gold was the theme of the stadium with green and blue seats adding to the glory. The towering floodlights were bowing their heads giving a warm welcome to a first timer into Eden.
It was 3.10 PM by my watch. Toss was still 20 minutes to go. The green fields had nets up and KKR and RCB were having their practice drills. Started spotting the cricketing heroes whom I have been seeing in my drawing room all these years. The atmosphere was electric, with DJ belting out one hit after another and the crowd going berserk seeing Yusuf Pathan hitting long shots in practice session. There was a deep feeling it was a day of KKR. I was absorbing as much as I could, seeing all round with awe and admiration. I was finally sitting inside the mecca of cricket with 65,000 other fans.
The Match:
I could see Pommy MBangwa facing the camera with the two captains in the middle of the pitch, yes it was toss time. RCB won the toss and elected to field first. The crowd roared in anticipation of KKR' s batting. We were going to have a treat at hand. The match started with Jack Kallis on fire and hit Zaheer Khan all round the park. I shouted along with the crowd and almost lost my voice in the first over, but at the same time was feeling bad for Zaheer after all he is our India´ s pride. I was having tough time switching my loyalties from country heroes to club heroes.
The crowd was cheering each and every run and was sporting enough to appreciate the good fielding effort that RCB put in. I took part in a mexican wave that was going round the stadium, it was a delight to watch. The towering sixes and fours were a treat to the eye with the DJ pumping out superb bets after each and every four or six.
The flood light was slowly coming to force, the intensity of the light made the stadium look a bit foggy. The ambiance was even better now, the knight´s golden pads were shinning more (knights in shining armour). The KKR innings finished for 171, looking in a comfortable position to win.
The Storm:
The 2nd Innings started and a storm came. It was Gayle Storm, he was at his fluent best. He scored a hundred punctuating them with sixes and fours. I was simply awestruck to see the powerhouse he was. He was hitting at will, and defending with the same ease. He could have played at least one innings like this while he was in KKR. His inconsistency in the last three season left him unsold in the player auction this year. He came in as a replacement of Dirk Nannes and what a replacement he has proven to be. I must say RCB was very lucky, since these kind of innings doesn´t happen very often but when they happen it devastates the opposition. Watching the sixes fly into the crowd was superb and if I had not been a KKR supporter would have enjoyed it more.
All said and done, it was a great day out and a wonderful experience in Eden. Winning and losing are part of the game. Being a gracious fan of a losing side. I would say Well Played Gayle, Well Played RCB. All in all a total value for money (Paisa Vasool).
