Friday, February 09, 2007

Good Riddance

It serves the Eden crowd perfectly that the match got washed out. In fact there should be no international matches at Eden. Let that crowd feel happy watching Bengal v/s XYZ team and cheer the Bengali players all their life.

Last time an international was held at Eden Gardens - India was playing South Africa. India were sans Ganguly and as a result the crowd decided that they were happier supporting South Africa. South African runs were cheered, those of Indians booed. Indian mistakes were cheered, their super shots or good balls were jeered. The South Africans had more support in Eden than they have ever had in South Africa.

For a crowd that cannot support its own team - there should be no joy of watching that team play. Next lets not wait for nature to dispense justice. Let there be no matches at Eden.

P.S. :- I havent even mentioned the earlier shameful acts by the Eden crowd - ofcourse none of that compares with this one.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Extremely prejudiced post. But what the hell its your blog. As far as I see it, you can not call an entire crowd unworthy because of a stray incident. There are many flaws in your assumption. First, you assume that the crowd at Eden does not appreciate the team. The crowd here always supports its heroes. This was the crowd that showed Black flags to Gavaskar and his team and the whole city had said "No Kapil No test" when someone like Kapil Dev was a victim of internal politics. The crowd demands justice and can not support what it believs is wrong. Saurav's elimination from the team was not being attacked, it was the manner in which it happened.

You dare to make a statement that let there be no match at Eden. Give me a stadium in the world which can boast of the filled capacity during a 5 day test match, every single day. And then Give me one other stadium in the world where there has been no crowd unrest.. even your darling Wankhede :-)

To make such comments about a crowd that is undoubtedly the most knowledgable in the nation, is a sacrilege. Yes, the demographics have changed and I will not find the gentlemen who were around me when I sat watching the 1989 finals. I do not recognize the part of the crowd that for some reasons have resorted to hooliganism. As a Calcuttan and an Eden lover, I too am ashamed of the same.

But to deglorify Eden for such minor blemishes... Nah can't take that...

Banjo

PS: I love wiki... As I say no one is a saint.... This is at Brabourne Stadium...The one serious instance of crowd trouble at the stadium happened in the final session of the fourth day (08-11-1969) of the Test match between India and Australia[1]. With India in desperate trouble in the second innings Wadekar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan were involved in a partnership of 25 for the eighth wicket when the latter was declared out caught behind of Alan Connolly. The decision was the cricticised by the radio commentators, and as Venkat left the wicket after some hesitation, trouble broke out in the East Stand. Bottles were thrown on the ground and chairs burnt. The awnings were set on fire in the North stand. Play went on for an hour while all this happened.

PPS: and dont even get me started on the amount of times Wankhede's pitch was damaged due to political relations.

PPPS: But unlike you I love Wankhede.. http://www.cricketweb.net/news/photos/2420060323051033.jpg

Push said...

1. Yes. It is my blog and I think I should make it an official rule that no comments longer than the original post.

2. Show me a ground in the world where the *entire* home team has been booed for no fault of theirs.

3. Unrest in stadium is understandable (though not forgiveable , no matter where it happens) - that shows strong emotion for a home side. An emotion against it is definitely not on. Not from a crowd that claims to be "undoubtedly the most knowledgable in the nation"

4. Yes I do make the statement - Let there be no matches. For a crowd which does not support its own team thats only their just desserts. (Altho watching Bengal matches may not be that bad a punishment given that Tiwary and Bose shud soon play for India)

5. My "darling" Wankhede as you term it was also guilty of something horrifying in my opinion too. Booing Sachin is not on. Anywhere. Forget Mumbai. I do not condone that. However it was not a slur against an entire team.

6. Lets not even try equating stupid politicians with crowds

Madhurjya (Banjo) Banerjee said...

So I understand your basic issue was the crowd jeering India team at Eden.

1. will remember :-)

2. quote unquote "And then, as the saying goes, all havoc broke loose at Mumbai, even instigating some in the crowd to boo the home team and chant resonantly for Sourav’s return to the squad."
http://thatscricket.oneindia.in/news/2006/03/24/2403sunil-vasudeva-column.html

I love Mumbai... They understand cricket just like Cal :-)

3. changed to 'once most knowledgable'. I deplore some of the goons that go to the field these days.

4. Yups lets have no match at Wankhede or Eden. Proven by point no. 2

5. Sachin is Sachin. Why bring him in?

6. the normal Mumbaikar.. only Respect :-) but when you start comparing, let's go all way

Push said...

2. I would hold Rahul Dravid (captain, Indian Cricket Team) as a more authentic figure than Sunil Vasudeva. The match following the one at Eden was when Rahul specifically applauded the crowd after winning the match.

Also i quote from ur quote "even instigating some in the crowd".

Not the same as almost the entire crowd booing for the entire duration of the match.

prince of hyderabad said...

Hmmm - nice post this one and nice to read up the stuff sent in by mentee. Though, I must add, the World Cup happened in 1987. Btw, thr have been quite a few instances of crowd trouble. I have been keeping count from the time Eden 1996 semi-final happened. The year after that, you had the one at Mumbai where Azhar was given out wrongly and he was livid with the umpire. And the crowd got restless and halted play for quite a while until Azhar was asked to come out and calm them down. He was not the captain, if I remember correctly. Then of course, you had the Eden Garden Shoaib fiasco in a test match as well. All in all, crowds are getting more and more mobbish.

Nice that u brought up Manoj Tiwary and Bose though. I think two very promising potential Indian players. And finally, I must take offence over anything other the Chennai crowd being called as the most knowledgeable.

Firebringer said...

what about the madras crowd? They may or may not be knowledgable, but they are perhaps the most sporting. 1999?

As for wankhede, it is going to the dogs. When I went there during jr. college (2001), you would here witty comments emanating from the crowd - directed at all and sundry. Now, you just hear plain abuses - which is definitely not on!