Narayanswamy Srinivasan, the Board of Control for Cricket India president, will be present at the Eden for the third day's play of the ongoing India-England Test. But whether he will remain at the ground for the entire day will depend upon how the match shapes up.
Srinivasan, along with his family, arrived in the city on Thursday afternoon, before heading straight to the Dakshineshwar Temple.
He's slated to meet his England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) counterpart Giles Clarke ' who's in town since the last three days ' on Friday. Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya, too, could be present during the meeting.
Spectators watching from the upper tier of the Club House were in for a surprise on Thursday morning when they found former England captain Michael Atherton ' who is covering the series for The Times, London ' sitting in the stands. He was soon joined by former England batsman Paul Collingwood, who is here as a commentator. Curious onlookers also requested them for autographs to which they happily obliged.
Is Sachin Tendulkar turning superstitious? Having got runs at the Eden using a yellow rubber grip on the handle of his bat, he had asked for few more of the same colour. A local sports goods manufacturer happily sent him ten pieces before the start on Thursday. Hope yellow proves to be lucky yet again.
Alastair Cook is not only the team's delight, but also the selectors'. The selectors had given him the responsibility of Test captaincy when Andrew Strauss called it a day. Since then, Cook has not only led the team with impressive authority, but has also shone with a host of personal achievements.
England selector James Whitaker, no doubt, is mighty impressed with Cooky. "It's a brilliant knock that Cook has played at the Eden so far… He seems to be doing everything right. As far as I'm concerned, I don't remember any England captain or batsman scoring three centuries on the trot in as many Test matches in this part of the world," Whitaker, who watched the second day proceedings at the Eden, said.
While the Alastair Cooks and Nick Comptons were busy thrashing the Indian bowlers at the Eden on Thursday, the reserve players of the England squad slogged it out at the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club ground.
The likes of Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, James Tredwell and Joe Root underwent around two hours of practice, which only implies that the visitors are willing to keep all their players fighting fit.
The last time Ted Dexter was here, at the Eden, back in 1961, he had to leave dejected as England had lost the game by 187 runs. But the second day's play in the ongoing Test seems to have pleased the septuagenarian.
"At present, England have an edge over India… 316 (by India) is not too imposing a total. If England take a handy first innings lead, it could really spell trouble for India," Dexter said, before leaving during the lunch interval for some golfing action at the RCGC.