Cricket in whites is a tradition on Boxing Day around the world. The Eden Gardens witnessed its own version of a Boxing Day classic this year as Team UK in India beat Team India in the UK by 15 runs to claim the latest edition of the HSBC Indo-British Heritage Cup on December 26. This marked UK in India’s first victory in the annual charity face-off, with India in the UK having won the first three editions
Photos: Soumyajit Dey
Batting first, UK in India posted the highest-ever total in the competition, setting a target of 185 for their opponents in 20 overs. Despite a valiant effort, India in the UK fell short by 15 runs in an almost exact reversal of the result from last year, when India in the UK had defended a total of 176 by a slender margin of nine runs
Reflecting on India in the UK’s first loss in the tournament, captain Koushik Chatterjee (in pink) said: “It was a good game, but unfortunately we couldn’t extend our run of wins. It happens and we look forward to playing hard for the win next year… Growing up, the Boxing Day Test was something to look forward to. Australia are hosting Pakistan and India are in South Africa today, and here we are, lucky enough to play in whites at the legendary Eden. It’s a special feeling and a dream come true!”
Jishnu Chatterjee took three for 18 with the ball and Judhajit Mukherjee chipped in with 30* off 25 balls for India in the UK, but the three-time winners ultimately had too much to do in pursuit of a formidable total. Their task was made harder by a man of the match display from Timon Basu, who smashed 32* off 19 and picked up a crucial wicket, too. Ravi Singh also got two wickets for UK in India
Andrew Fleming, the British deputy high commissioner to Kolkata, was at Eden for the first time and loved the experience: “I’m delighted that we’re bringing in partners from both India and the UK to forge deeper connections through our shared passion of cricket.” Amit Sengupta, the winning captain of UK in India, referred to Fleming as “our lucky charm”
Another debutant at Eden, this time as a player, was filmmaker Srijit Mukherji, who finally realised his dream of playing on the hallowed turf. As wicket-keeper for India in the UK, Mukherji made a number of telling stops behind the stumps. Speaking about the initiative to organise the match, Mukherji said: “This is truly a great initiative to share and grow a cultural bond and a living bridge between both nations, since cricket is a central part of both cultures.”
Following the end of the match, which was a combined effort by Bengal Heritage Foundation, a UK-based charity; the British Council, the British Deputy High Commission Kolkata and the Indo-British Scholars’ Association (IBSA), two full cricket kits were handed over to two promising individuals representing Bengal at the under-19 level. Priyanshu Patel and Rahul Prasad were the recipients of the kits, which were collected by their family members, since both cricketers were in Patiala for an under-19 game
