Twenty-seven years after that forgettable night when India were getting thrashed by Sri Lanka till crowd trouble brought about an early end to the game, Eden Gardens will be hosting another ODI World Cup semi-final.

The second semi-final, on November 16, has been slotted at the iconic venue which had also hosted the final of the 1987 World Cup between Australia and England, and the decider of the 2016 T20 World Cup between the West Indies and England.

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is also keeping things ready in case the semi-final is a blockbuster India-Pakistan clash.

The Eden’s Cup journey will begin with Bangladesh’s match against Qualifier 1 on October 28 (Lakshmi Puja). Bangladesh play here again on October 31, against Pakistan, before the Eden hosts India and South Africa on November 5. That will be followed by the Pakistan-England game on November 12 (Kali Puja) before the semi-final clash.

Renovation work underway at Eden Gardens on Tuesday, for setting up a lounge on the Club House premises, in time for hosting World Cup matches. Sayak Banerjee

Although there was radio silence from CAB officials all these days about Eden’s chances of getting games featuring top-tier teams, let alone a semi-final clash, the grapevine did have it that the ground would be allotted a last-four stage contest.

“During the Women’s Premier League in Mumbai, we convinced Mr Jay Shah (BCCI secretary) about the facilities at Eden Gardens and the renovations and upgradation it’s going through. He was also shown the designs and the way we’re going to remodel parts of the stadium, assuring him that the renovation would be completed much ahead of the World Cup.

“He was happy to see our progress and assured us of big and high-profile games,” CAB president Snehasish Ganguly said on Tuesday.

Work is underway on setting up a lounge on the association’s Club House premises. Besides, renovation is on just outside the two dressing rooms. Also undergoing an overhaul is the association’s conference room, with a little bit of fine-tuning left in the corporate boxes and some spruce-up overall.

The last time when India hosted the 50-overs World Cup, back in 2011, Eden suffered the ignominy of losing its marquee game featuring India and England as it had fallen short of the ICC’s standards and couldn’t meet the deadline. Careful this time around, the CAB aims to finish all the overhaul-related works by August 1.

The teams from the BCCI and the ICC are likely to do a recce at the Eden from the first week of July onwards.

‘Affordable’ price

The ticket prices for the five matches will be finalised at the CAB apex body meeting, slated in the next eight to 10 days. “Tickets will be available at a cost that’s affordable by all,” the president assured.

The CAB, on several occasions, has organised a special event ahead of important clashes. Such programmes were seen even prior to the start of some of the T20 World Cup matches in 2016. Laser and drone shows during the India-Sri Lanka ODI back in January and this year’s IPL had added to the flavour after the floodlights were converted to LED from metal halide.

Something similar is expected during this World Cup as well, especially before the India-South Africa game and the semi-final, subject to the BCCI’s approval.

Win it for Virat: Viru

Mumbai: Drawing inspiration from their last World Cup triumph, India will be looking to win the upcoming edition of the tournament for Virat Kohli like the batch of 2011 won it for Sachin Tendulkar, feels former opener Virender Sehwag.

“We played that World Cup for Tendulkar. We won the World Cup, and it was a great exit for Sachin paaji,” Sehwag said during an event to announce the Cup schedule.

“Virat Kohli is (now) in Sachin Tendulkar’s shoes. The way he plays, talks, looks after the others, and the way he plays cricket with his passion, he is the one now. Everybody is looking to win this World Cup for Virat Kohli,” he added.

Speaking more about Kohli, who too was a part of the 2011 Cup-winning squad, he said: "He always gives more than 100 per cent... I am sure he will score a lot of runs.”

PTI