Murshidabad to Manchester, the Eden Garden stands were an eclectic mix of fans from different parts of the world as international cricket returned to Calcutta after 14 months.

The roads leading to the stadium had been buzzing since 5pm, still two hours to the first ball.

The familiar sights were back. Blue shirts sold like hot cakes and fans waited to get their faces painted. Three Lions shirts — the England jersey — had some takers.

Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian captain, was a top draw for fans. He competed with Virat Kohli, who was not playing, when it came to the demand for Team India shirts.

“I sold about 20 Suryakumar Yadav shirts and nearly 25 Virat Kohli shirts. Both are in great demand,” said Samir Das.

Many in the stands root for KKR in the IPL. One of them was Sayanta Mondal, who hoped to see Varun Chakravarthy cast a spell on the visitors.

“We hope he creates the same magic that he does in the IPL,” said Mondal, who came from Bandel.

Fireworks

Lee Morton and his brother Tony Morton, from Manchester, were visiting Calcutta for the first time.

“When we planned the trip, we were not aware of the cricket schedule. But once we knew, we could not afford to skip a match at Eden,” said Lee.

They were hoping for “fireworks” from Phil Salt and Jos Buttler. “We’re here to witness Salt’s and Buttler’s batting, as well as a great game,” Tony said.

Their friends, also from Manchester, Biju (who goes by his first name) and Rob Mukherjee, who previously visited India in 2023 for an India-Australia match, were seen in Indian jerseys.

“It’s time for youngsters like Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel to take the baton from the senior players,” said Biju.

Their companion, Rony Mukherjee, chose neutrality. He had both sides of his face painted, one in Indian and the other in England colours.

“I want to enjoy the spirit of the game, thus I choose to stay neutral.”

The group from England is likely o fly to Chennai to witness their next T20 match.

Josephine Baker came from Budleigh Salterton, a seaside town in East Devon. Baker is visiting India with her family after 16 years.

“We’re not just supporting England but are here to witness a great match,” Baker said.

Her daughter Rosie, who was holding an Indian jersey, said: “Cricket is a gentleman’s game, everyone in our family loves to watch cricket.”

Five friends from Jhar-khand were among the spectators. One of them was Mohammad Aslam, 26, a Dumka resident, who was kicked to see Yadav.

Raghunath Ghosh, a medical representative from Murshidabad, and his friend Surojit Ghosh, 26, eagerly awaited Mohammed Shami. But the star pacer was not included in the playing eleven.

Timeless appeal

Amlan Moitra, 34, was in the stands on November 16, 2023, the last international match at Eden. It wasa blockbuster semi-finalclash between Australia and South Africa in the ODI World Cup.

“I have watched so many games here. But I still feel the hunger to watch more cricket at Eden. She has a timeless appeal,” said the Tollygunge resident.

Sujay Ghosh from Kharagpur, accompanied by his wife and seven-year-old son, was overwhelmed about his Eden debut.