The sprawling Maidan nearby the Eden Gardens is popularly termed as the largest sports goods market in Asia. The half a kilometer stretch is the first stop of every aspiring sportsman of the city.

Badminton racquets dangle from creaking ceilings, cricket bats of all sizes, shapes, wood and football boots are a nudge away from falling off the glassed showcases. There are also imitation-gold plated trophies shinning garishly under the glare of tube-lights.

“The journey of every sportsman starts here, and not the Maidan,” says Rahman Ali, the owner of Palace Sports, established in 1965. His grandfather, like most shop-owners migrated from East Pakistan after the partition. 

“Back in the 70s, Abbas Ali Baig tore his shoes one day and bought a pair from us. My grandfather didn’t take any money from him. Dhoni brought a pair of gloves from here too once. And of course, we have spotted Shami bhai a lot of times here (before he got into the Indian team). Now, of course, he can’t. He would be using foreign goods,” he says. 

Shami’s jerseys, though, are out of stock. Ali reasons, “Usually, we stock more jerseys of Rohit and Virat. But we didn’t know our bowlers would become such a hit. But no worries, the load will arrive tomorrow, in time for the match,” he says.

Every replica jersey costs around Rs 450, which in normal time is sold for Rs 250-300. “The pandemic struck us. We were running on heavy losses. So we have to cash in during the World Cup,” says Armaan, who quips: “We look forward to the sports season more than the sportsmen.”

The three-week window is their equivalent of the harvest season. These days, they sell around 200-300 jerseys a day, and on match-days even more. “The stadium is so near, yet we can’t leave the shop and watch the match,” he says.

The jersey-hunters are swelling by the minute and the narrow passage ways have become narrower. Some stop by and chat about Shami’s demolition of Sri Lanka, or whether Kohli would equal Tendulkar against South Africa at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. 

 “You should come after six,” a policeman tells a pair of inquisitive tourists.” That is when the facade of the storied stadium glows. A fleet of police cars screeched past the stadium, tired policemen could be spotted leaning against the walls or resting on the cane fence near the stadium.

There is a buzz crackling in the humid air of the city. 

At the time of allotment of World Cup matches at the Eden Gardens the city was dejected that it would not host any of India’s marquee games. It is hosting a semi-final—but it was accustomed to hosting bigger games, the finals (1987 World Cup, 1996 World Cup semi-final and 2016 T20 WC). And wallowing about its glorious past is ingrained in the city’s psyche.