Do you know that once Eden Gardens Cheered For South Africa Against India?

Imagine the entire Eden Gardens cheering on the visiting South Africans as they faced the hosts. Actually, don’t imagine it; it happened.

On November 25, 2005, the crowd in Kolkata booed the Indians while shouting for the South Africans. Why? The reason was straightforward: there was no Sourav Ganguly on the team.

The audience vented its rage on coach Greg Chappell and captain Rahul Dravid. They got crazy with delight when Indian wickets fell. Only Sachin Tendulkar was applauded.

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Dropping Dada is a crime.

Eden Garden was rumored to be retaliating for Chappell’s “crime” of quitting Dada, and the Indian team paid the price. Over 90,000 people attended the game, and every single one of them wanted to see someone suffer. Naturally, Chappell!

Scattered cries of anger that began with Irfan Pathan’s exit in the first over of the match grew into strident yells of “Chappell hatao, desh bachao (remove Chappell and save the country)”.

Cries of “Dravid haaye haaye, Dravid Murdabad (Shame on Dravid)” rang through the stands as the skipper was removed after only six runs. These cries could be heard even on our television screens.

At the time, India was down to 71 for five. The ‘cheering’ erupted as last-man Harbhajan Singh was eliminated at 188.

South Africa dismissed India for 188 and chased down the score in 35.5 overs, partly because to Graeme Smith’s unbroken 134. India was defeated by a ten-wicket defeat, as the audience booed Indian skipper Rahul Dravid once more during the presentation.

With the exception of Sachin Tendulkar, everyone in Eden Gardens that day was booed. The remainder of the Indian story centred around the ensuing batting collapse.

Even when the face of head selector Kiran More was projected on the big screen, the booing went unabated. It was just one of the ways the fans chose to follow their “No Sourav, No Cricket” mantra and ignore Greg Chappell and Dravid.

A Ranji update of Ganguly’s 159 in Bengal’s 378 was shown on the massive screen. The crowd erupted in delight as they celebrated their favorite cricketer’s all-around return.

The crowd who packed Eden Gardens, the former Indian captain’s home pitch, seemed to have one purpose in mind: “Bring Dada Back.”

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Why does Ganguly matter so much to cricket fans?

It is a well-known fact that players are released from teams. That is an idea that cricket fans can and should accept. However, in the case of Ganguly, Bengal supporters were outraged by the manner in which he was ousted. He was not only a fantastic player, but also the captain of the Indian squad at the time.

Given that he is the first Bengali cricketer to achieve such heights, it’s not surprising that Chappell was reviled in Bengal during his feud with Ganguly. Karnataka would most likely be angry if Rahul Dravid had been treated similarly.

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Conclusion

South Africa eventually won by ten wickets. The hosts were humiliated, and the fans seemed to enjoy it.

They chastised the selectors for unfairly excluding their beloved Dada, and the team suffered the brunt of the criticism.

Never before has a home crowd supported their opponents with such fervor! It simply demonstrates Ganguly’s love and respect in the City of Joy.

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