As expected all tickets were sold out for the first tie between India and Sri Lanka. The ODI to be played on the 8th Feb is expected to be a crowd puller with the local boy Saurav Ganguly playing a match here after two years.

Ganguly doesn’t have good memories of his ground but would like to improve on that record. Sri Lanka does have great memories as they had beaten India in the 1996 WC semi-finals.

Eden Gardens hosted the last ODI against South Africa in November last year, Kolkatans had protested both inside and outside the stadium against the omission of Ganguly from the Indian team.

Coach Greg Chappell and skipper Rahul Dravid, perceived as the men responsible for Ganguly’s ouster, were constantly booed by the people as the Indians went down to the Proteas.

Besides controversies the Eden Gardens has always witnessed great nail biting finishers. The wicket has been a great run feast for batsmen, so the team winning the toss would surely elect to bat first.