A young man walked into the Eden Gardens with a poster thanking "Prem Sir and Saroj Ma'am", for giving a "Kohinoor to Team India".
The sparkle of the diamond, their son Virat Kohli, who turned 35 on Sunday, mesmerised the Eden crowd throughout the day.
In hindsight, the elusive 49th hundred coming at India's cricket Mecca might look like a script written in the stars. The 65,000 mobile torchlights that lit up the night sky as Kohli scored the century created a surreal atmosphere, one that prompted Ravi Shastri to say on air that "the city of joy is as joyous as it has ever been".
But Kohli's reigning status as the Eden crowd favourite was reinforced long before the match started.
His was, by far, the most chanted name in and outside the stadium. Seven in 10 jerseys sported by spectators had his name. He was also the subject of most of the posters and banners that made it to the stadium.
Vikash Kumar, a budding club cricketer in Ranchi, came with the poster thanking Kohli's parents. "When I was able to book the ticket after repeated failed attempts, I was overwhelmed with joy. To be able to see him bat live is my dream. In a while, it is going to come true," said Kumar, who came to Kolkata with a friend.
A Kohli installation — set up on a slice of the Maidan near the Mohammedan Sporting tent — was the preferred picture zone for many fans.
It comprised 48 cardboard cutouts of Kohli, each for an ODI century of his. The cutouts showed him in different moods, pumping fists, raising the bat and jumping in jubilation.
"Kohli is born to create new records. I am confident we will witness one today," said Pritam Kanjilal, a Maniktala resident who works with a PSU bank, in between taking pictures with the cutouts.
Around 1pm, a large group of fans started dancing to the beats of dhol and nagada on their way to the stadium.
A group of friends from Alipurduar, all "die-hard Kohli fans", filmed the dance as they walked towards the gates.
"We were desperate to make this happen. The planning started as soon as we came to know about the fixture. All of us together, rooting for the King, inside an iconic stadium. It cannot get any better," said Alankrita Chakraborty, an advocate.
The group of four reached Kolkata on Saturday and will leave on Monday.
Around 90 minutes later, a rousing reception greeted the birthday boy as he walked out to bat.
A couple had just parked their car behind the Mohammedan Sporting ground just as the deafening roar reverberated well beyond the stadium.
The man checked his phone and yelled: "Kohli neme gachhe. Akta din ektu kom ghumale hoto na (Kohli has walked in to bat. Could you not have woken up earlier today)?"
Tarak Nath, from Ashoknagar in North 24-Parganas, was one of the many selling India shirts near the Taltala tent. By 1.15pm, he ran out of Kohli shirts.
"I had anticipated good demand for Kohli shirts. Of the 50 total jerseys I got, around 25 had his name on the back. But I had not expected such a craze," said Nath.
Apart from jerseys, Kohli masks were also spotted every now and then.
Rupam Saha and Prakash Roy, friends from Kasba, had come together with a Kohli poster each. The one held by Saha, a first-year BTech student, said "Kolkata tomake bhalobashe (Kolkata loves you).". Roy, a first-year BCA student, wrote on his: "Chiku bhai ko koi kuch bol sakta hai kya (Can anyone dare say anything to Chiku bhai)? Chiku is Kohli's nickname.
"His batting prowess is unmatched. But his attitude is what I admire more," said Roy.