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“Babar Azam kokhon bat korbe (When will Babar Azam come to bat)?” was the theme at the Eden Gardens even when Fakhar Zaman was clattering sixes. It didn’t matter if the opener was back scoring runs, or that Pakistan were finally about to break their World Cup 2023 hoodoo of four consecutive defeats. It didn’t matter if India weren’t playing, or that there was equal support for Bangladesh. Kolkata had warmed up to Pakistan, a feeling the Men in Green have longed for amid their gloomy World Cup campaign and the tumultuous situation unfolding within the PCB back home.
The DJ was playing ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ in full swing, chants of ‘Pakistan jeetega’ reverberated throughout the stadium and every time Babar popped up on the big screen, the stadium erupted. Even fans wearing India jerseys showed their backing. After the match, when a smile finally returned on Babar’s face, the deafening reaction was reminiscent of the embrace he would find in Karachi or Lahore. Eden was a proper atmosphere yesterday with over 35000-plus in attendance even before the sun went down. People had turned up from the nearby areas of Khidirpur, Park Circus, Mominpur and Metiabruz to support the Pakistan team.
With a clash between two of India’s neighbouring countries days after the Durja Pujo festival winded up in the city, up for grabs, despite Kolkata and its people’s links with Bangladesh, Pakistan were the clear fan favourites. The decibel levels kept going a notch higher when Shaheen took Mahmudullah’s wicket to secure his third, when Fakhar and Abdullah Shafique both reached their fifties, when Babar strode out to the crease, and, ultimately, when the winning runs were scored. The mind couldn’t help but hark back to the 2016 World T20, when during another contest featuring Pakistan and Bangladesh, a similar sight had unfolded.
“We have been supporting the Pakistan team for a very long time. We know that when the Pakistan team goes down it goes up with the same speed. From now on I’m hoping they will win the rest of two other games and they’ll qualify for the top four,” a fan named Kazi Mohsin told ANI after Pakistan’s 7-wicket win over Bangladesh.
Upon the team’s arrival in Kolkata three days ago, Pakistan were welcomed by a sea of people at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. They broke into Haris and Shaheen chants as the players made their way out one by one. All that however, paled in comparison to the roar reserved for Babar – it was as loud as the cheers Sourav Ganguly would get when he’d return to the city during his playing days. He and his teammates were inundated with selfie requests after their practice sessions leading up to the contest and the players’ reactions clearly reflected their enjoyment and enthusiasm for this unique experience.
Kolkata’s hospitality towards Pakistan is all that Babar and his team looked up to from their fans and board, but instead received criticism, jeering and an unceremonious turmoil within the board. The saga surrounding Babar’s leaked chat, the circumstances that led to it and Inzamam-ul-Haq’s resignation as the chief selector amid the investigation launched and Pakistan’s four consecutive losses is the last thing Pakistan, whose semifinal hopes were dashed, needed.
Eden Gardens has a rich history with Pakistan, with many memorable matches being played on this hallowed turf. From a young Shoaib Akhtar delivering thunderbolts to dismiss Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar’s stumps in the 1999 Asian Championship Test match to infamous controversies like Tendulkar’s run-out, which sparked a riot, the ground has seen it all. If Hyderabad was Pakistan’s home ground in this World Cup, Kolkata proved to be their home away from home.
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