A series of guardrails barricaded the area in front of Gate 3 and 4 of the Eden Gardens for VIP movement. Other than cops on duty, a few spectators stood behind the guardrails as the giant screen showed Virat Kohli batting on 59.

As the Indian captain kept adding to his tally, the crowd kept increasing and by the time Kohli crossed 90, there were at least 25 spectators standing there with their eyes glued to the giant screen.

“Dara, century ta dekhe jai. Tuk tak acche. Akhon jaega shift korle jodi out hoe jae (wait, let him complete the century. If we shift from this place, we might jinx him to a dismissal),” a young man, who had been standing for over 20 minutes, told his friend who had just arrived.

Kohli hit a sublime boundary through the covers to move on to 99.

The crowd had to wait for three more balls for the coveted moment. As Kohli tucked Taijul Islam past the square leg for a couple and brought up his 27th Test century, the crowd broke into a loud cheer.

Mission accomplished, most in the crowd moved on.