Boasting of a capacity of close to 100,000 - the biggest stadium in the world, that’s until the Melbourne Cricket Ground was renovated and could accommodate more - the Eden Gardens in Kolkata has been witness to many a memorable moments in International cricket. From Sachin Tendulkar’s controversial run out after running into Shoaib Akhtar in a Test match in 1999, to the epic India-Australia Test match in 2001, to Harbhajan Singh’s hat-trick against Australia, Eden Gardens has always been known to produce some very exciting cricket. Eden Gardens also has a special place in the heart of followers of South African cricket, for it was here that the South Africans made their re-entry into International cricket in 1991 – in front of a packed stadium. With a passionate following of the game among locals, Kolkata has had its dark moments as well – none more famous than the 1999 Test match against Pakistan, which was played to a finish in front of empty stands, after crowd trouble had earlier disrupted play and all spectators were evicted from the ground. The Eden Gardens is the home ground of Sourav Ganguly, and more recently the Kolkata Knight Riders – the IPL team owned by Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jai Mehta.
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