The History of Eden Gardens

                Cricket is one of the most popular sports if not the most popular one in India, but it is not the national sport of India (field hockey holds that distinction). It is a sport that is played throughout the countryside of India by children and adults alike, just like soccer in other countries. Some believe that the sport was brought in by the English sometime during the 18^th century. It soon became a sport played throughout the Commonwealth, and India began competing against other Commonwealth countries in tournaments that gathered more than 24000 people. Nowadays cricket is more popular than ever in India. The demand to watch live cricket has created the second biggest cricket stadium in the world: Eden Gardens.

                Eden Gardens is one of the biggest cricket stadiums in the world. It was built in 1864 in Kolkata and it has a seating capacity of 62,000 people. It is the largest stadium of its kind in India and the home Kolkata Knight Riders. Some have called Eden Gardens cricket’s answer to the Colosseum. The stadium has seen its fair share of epic clashes between cricket teams and fans alike. When the tension of a high stakes game gets too much, the frustration one mistake can bring in the hearts of the fans is released violently.

                In March 1996 for example, during the semifinal against Sri Lanka in the world cup, India fell behind after a huge lead. Soon the angry supporters set fire to the stands and began using the chairs as fuel. The players were quickly evacuated to the locker rooms, and the referee tried to restart the game. But when the crowd didn’t settle down he was forced to award the game to Sri Lanka. There have been more events when the spectators got out of hand and the game had to be carried out on an empty stadium.