Sahaspur Village , Amroha, UTTAR PRADESH / Kolkata, WEST BENGAL:

Adjoining the sprawling maidan and the Eden Gardens is what the locals call – the largest sports goods market in Asia. Whether it’s a brag or the truth, the half a kilometer-stretch is the first stop of every aspiring sportsman of the city.

Badminton racquets dangle from creaking ceilings, cricket bats of all sizes, shapes, wood and football boots are a nudge away from falling off the glassed showcases. There are also imitation-gold plated trophies shinning garishly under the glare of tube-lights.

“The journey of every sportsman starts here, and not the maidan,” says Rahman Ali, who owns Palace Sports. “Established 1965,” he asserts. Ali’s grandfather, like most shop-owners had migrated from East Pakistan after the partition.

“Back in the 70s, Abbas Ali Baig tore his shoes one day and bought a pair from us. My grandfather didn’t take any money from him. Dhoni brought a pair of gloves from here too once. And of course, we have spotted Shami bhai a lot of times here (before he got into the Indian team). Now, of course, he can’t. He would be using foreign goods,” he says.

Shami’s jerseys, though, are out of stock. Ali reasons: “Usually, we stock more jerseys of Rohit and Virat. But we didn’t know our bowlers would become such a hit. But no worries, the load will arrive tomorrow, in time for the match,” he says.

Every replica jersey costs around Rs 450, which in normal time is sold for Rs 250-300. “The pandemic struck us badly, we were running on heavy losses. So we have to cash in during the World Cup,” says Armaan, who quips: “We look forward to the sports season more than the sportsmen.”

The three-week window is their equivalent of the harvest season. These days, they sell around 200-300 jerseys a day, and on match-days even more. Match-days are the busiest days, and therein lies their biggest pang. “The stadium is so near, yet we can’t leave the shop and watch the match,” he says.

Search for selfie

The jersey-hunters are swelling by the minute and the narrow passageways have become narrower. Some stop by and chat about Shami’s demolition of Sri Lanka, or whether Virat Kohli would equal Sachin Tendulkar at the Eden. The proximity of the bus station that is ferrying thousands of cricket pilgrims from different corners of the state and the line of hotels in the neighboring New Market Area has made an already crowded part of the city seaming at its bursts.

Some of them wander into the Eden Gardens, across the Maidan with its kite-fliers. These marching cadet scouts go past the hundreds of sports clubs and the Lesilie Claudius Sarai named after the city’s most famous hockey star, in search for a selfie or to merely soak in the atmosphere.

Eden Gardens illuminated with lights ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and South Africa, in Kolkata. (PTI)

“You should come after six,” a policeman tells a pair of inquisitive tourists.” That is when the facade of the storied stadium glows. A fleet of police cars screeched past the stadium, tired policemen could be spotted leaning against the walls or resting on the cane fence near the stadium.

There is a buzz crackling in the humid air of the city. When the list of games were announced, the city was dejected that it would not host any of India’s marquee games. It’s hosting a semifinal—but it was accustomed to hosting bigger games, the finals (1987 World Cup and 2016 T20 WC). And wallowing about its glorious past is ingrained in the city’s psyche.

SA’s piece of history

Political subplots were read into it. But the sleight of destiny ensured that the city got the most competitive game of the tournament, India versus South Africa. Few considered South Africa contenders, but they are now the second favourites. Two days cannot fly faster is the common refrain. Some fans loitered around the stadium, assuming that the team would practise in the stadium on Friday. A policeman, tired of shooing a pack of youngsters away, now starts shouting expletives and waving the cane lathi. They flee. The new batch arrives, and the policeman is his wits’ end.

Anyone passing along the premises of the stadium is asked the standard question: “Ticket hain?” It could be anyone from a casual inquirer to a desperate fan pleading, or a tout seeking a potential buyer to slap an over-priced ticket. Among them was Ebrahim, from Durban. He landed on Thursday, but has no ticket. Draped in a South Africa flag, he says: “Maybe, I can buy one in the black market, or one of the South African supporters here can manage one. I was so thrilled to watch this World Cup that I didn’t bother about the ticket. I called a friend of mine from Cape Town last week and decided to travel just like that,” he says.

He says it was destiny that has brought him to Kolkata. “We played our first game after reintroduction here, we won our first Test match in India here. Hopefully, we will watch something special here too,” he says.

There is another connect—the administrator credited with bringing South Africa back into the cricket fold, Jagmohan Dalmiya, too was from the city. The series was organised in a week’s time, thanks to a meeting between then West Bengal CM Jyoti Basu and South Africa cricket board administrator Ali Bacher.

A batch of nervous cricketers in a chartered flight landed to a raucous welcome. In the post-match interview, captain Clive Rice would emotionally say: “I know how Neil Armstrong felt when he stood on the moon.” There is a picture of him and his teammates bowing down with folded hands and thanking the crowd after the game. “The most historic match in the history of South African cricket,” he would say.

A sense of history is lurking around the Eden Gardens this week too, as two of the strongest teams in the World Cup encounter on Sunday. And there is a whole ecosystem around it, literally and symbolically, waiting for the match and their catch.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> News> Sports> Cricket World Cup 2023 / by Sandip G, Kolkata / November 04th, 2023