Eden Gardens
About Eden Gardens
Far From City: 3 kms from city center
Cost:
About Eden Gardens
Weather:
Time Required:1-2 hours
Open Time:9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Cost:Entry fee is charged according to the matches being played here
History of Eden Gardens
Initially named the 'Aukland Circus Garden', its name was changed to Eden Gardens owing to several inspirations. Not only was it named after General Aukland's sisters, but its makers were hugely inspired by Eden Garden from the Bible as well. This stadium had played host to a plenty of matches, atleast six out of which have seen a turnover of about 100,000 people. The first Test match here was held in 1934, while the first One-Day International was held in 1987. The first matches to be played here under artificial lighting were the Hero Cup knockout matches. Several cricketing records have been made and smashed here, including The most runs in Test Matches (V.V.S. Laxman, 1217 runs), The most runs in ODIs (Sachin Tendulkar, 496 runs), and the highest ever ODI individual (Rohit Sharma, 264 runs) to name a few.
Architecture of Eden Gardens
Initially, the capacity of the stadium was 40,000 only. Major renovations were undertaken in order to increase its capacity to over 100,000 and upgrade the facilities available in preparations for the 1987 World Cup. The roof was constructed in such a manner that maximum coverage was provided with minimum support. A geometrically accurate roof was created over a fairly irregular stadium in a very limited time frame, which makes this stadium an unlikely engineering spectacle. The new Eden Garden matches the standards required for hosting first class international cricket under the ICC rules.
Historic Matches at Eden Gardens
One would not e wrong in saying that Eden Garden has stood witness to some of the most iconic matches in cricketing history. Some of the most thrilling matches in the history of this stadium include:-
1. India v/s England, 1962:
After a long period of 27 years, India's first ever victory against England in a test match came in the year 1962, when the host country won the match by 182 runs.
2. India v/s West Indies, 1975:
This was another one of India's legendary wins against a strong opponent team. This was the third test in a 5 - match series between the two countries and India won the same by a margin of 85 runs. With legends such as Sir Andy Roberts, Bernard Julien, Roy Fredericks and Lance Gibbs in the West Indies team, this match was a huge boost to the Indian team's confidence. However, India could not win the series and West Indies went home with a 2 - 1 victory.
3. India v/s South Africa, 1993: This was one of those matches where Sachin pulled off a miraculous win with not his batting skills, but his hidden bowling talent! South Africa needed 6 runs in the last over to win the Hero Cup final when Sachin decided to bowl and won the match for India by 2 runs.
4.
India v/s Australia, 2001: This was one of those matches where India turned a loss into a victory. After the first four batsmen had a quick return to the pavilion, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman pulled off a winning partnership and won the match for India.
5. India v/s Pakistan, 2005: This was another nail - biting match when India defeated Pakistan in Kolkata after suffering an initial loss at Mohali. India went on to win the series against Pakistan.
6. India v/s West Indies, 2013: This match marked the end of an era as it was cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar's last test match in Kolkata and second last career - wise.
Best time to visit Eden Gardens
Evening hours are the best time to visit this place. The weather is pleasant throughout the year, so you can plan a visit here whenever it suits you.
How to Reach Eden Gardens
Located on Strand Road, it can be easily reached by taking a cab or riding on the local bus available from all the major areas in the city. The nearest metro station From Eden Gardens is Park Street and lies about a 15-minute walk away from Park Street.
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Tips
You can visit the stadium when no matches are being held. In order to do so, you need permission from CAB or Cricket Association of Bengal. You can only visit and spectate the stadium not play in it.
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