India disappointed by Eden Gardens fiasco

ICC's decision to drop Eden Gardens as the venue for the India-England game has been greeted with utter dismay in India. Eden Gardens could not deliver on time, failing to meet the deadlines for renovation to the stadium. It hardly went down well with the ICC inspectors, who confirmed a venue change for the February 27 match between India and England."We were all looking forward to this match. We were disappearing to see a renovated Eden Gardens which was already looking so beautiful," former India batsman Arun Lal, now a commentator, said.

"Every cricket fan, every Kolkatan will be devastated by this."Nearly 100,000 people screaming at the top of their voices make Eden Gardens one of the most impressive cricket grounds in the world."Is there no chance of this decision being reversed? I am just hoping that they can reconcile," Lal said. Former India opening batsman Chetan Chauhan shared the view."I would suggest to the ICC and the Indian board that the Eden Gardens should be given another opportunity," Chauhan said.

"They should be given about 7-10 days. The game is on Feb 27 and there is still a lot of time."If they don't give them one more chance, I think they will deny a great centre and cricket-loving people the chance of watching a high-profile ICC Cricket World Cup match."Eden Gardens, which hosted the 1987 World Cup final, will stage three other matches on March 15, 18 and 20, none of which feature the home side. A furious Madan Lal, a member of India's 1983 World Cup-winning team, said the organisers should be taken to task.