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Eden was our main venue: Harbhajan
Harbhajan Singh said he was really disappointed that they would not be able to bowl at the Eden Gardens to the roar of spectators.
Kolkata:
With Eden Gardens no longer hosting a World Cup match featuring India, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Monday said he is really disappointed that they would not be able to bowl at the historic venue to the roar of spectators, which makes the ground really special.
The ICC on Monday confirmed its decision to relocate the venue for the India vs England match to Bangalore after rejecting BCCI's appeal to reverse its decision of dropping the venue for the February 27 match on Sunday.
Harbhajan, who has some great memories of Eden Gardens including a hat-trick that helped India put a halt on Australia's 16 Test wins in 2001, on Monday said he would personally miss playing at the venue.
"I don't know why it has happened and I can't do anything about it. Obviously we are disappointed... Bahut yaadein hai Eden ke saath (I have a lot of fond memories with Eden Gardens)," Harbhajan said.
"It was our main ground. Not playing at the Eden Gardens will be a big disappointment for us. It's one of my favourite ground in India.
"It's one of the oldest stadiums in India... The structure, the way the stadium is built makes it really beautiful. I have some great memories of the Eden Gardens. It's always been very lucky ground for us and also for me, that itself makes it really special," he added.
He referred to the epic Test against Australia where not only he got a hat-trick, but VVS Laxman struck an epic 281 to script a historic win against the world champions.
Harbhajan said the crowd atmosphere makes it a memorable experience in Eden Gardens.
"The crowd makes it really special. No other ground can match Kolkata in terms of the number of people turning up for the match. Even in Mumbai (Wankhede) a lot of people come to see the match, but it's almost double in Eden Gardens. You literally feel the noise," he said.
Fellow off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin echoed Harbhajan's lines and said: "I will miss playing in there. It has got electrifying atmosphere which is the best in India. Definitely, I am disappointed and feeling a little sad from inside."
The ICC on Monday confirmed its decision to relocate the venue for the India vs England match to Bangalore after rejecting BCCI's appeal to reverse its decision of dropping the venue for the February 27 match on Sunday.
Harbhajan, who has some great memories of Eden Gardens including a hat-trick that helped India put a halt on Australia's 16 Test wins in 2001, on Monday said he would personally miss playing at the venue.
"I don't know why it has happened and I can't do anything about it. Obviously we are disappointed... Bahut yaadein hai Eden ke saath (I have a lot of fond memories with Eden Gardens)," Harbhajan said.
"It was our main ground. Not playing at the Eden Gardens will be a big disappointment for us. It's one of my favourite ground in India.
"It's one of the oldest stadiums in India... The structure, the way the stadium is built makes it really beautiful. I have some great memories of the Eden Gardens. It's always been very lucky ground for us and also for me, that itself makes it really special," he added.
He referred to the epic Test against Australia where not only he got a hat-trick, but VVS Laxman struck an epic 281 to script a historic win against the world champions.
Harbhajan said the crowd atmosphere makes it a memorable experience in Eden Gardens.
"The crowd makes it really special. No other ground can match Kolkata in terms of the number of people turning up for the match. Even in Mumbai (Wankhede) a lot of people come to see the match, but it's almost double in Eden Gardens. You literally feel the noise," he said.
Fellow off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin echoed Harbhajan's lines and said: "I will miss playing in there. It has got electrifying atmosphere which is the best in India. Definitely, I am disappointed and feeling a little sad from inside."
Topics mentioned in this article
World Cup 2011
Eden Gardens
Cricket
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