World champions India and the visiting England squad arrived in batches on Saturday evening ahead of their series-opening T20 International in Kolkata on Wednesday.
With a slight nip in the air, cricket fever is set to grip the ‘City of Joy’ again as the iconic Eden Gardens prepares to host its first T20 International in nearly three years.
Beginning with the Eden T20I, the two teams will fight it out in a full white ball series, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, which will serve as a crucial warm-up for the Champions Trophy, slated to begin on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
English all-rounder Liam Livingstone, fresh from his stint with Pretoria Capitals in the ongoing SA20, was the first to check in, flying directly from South Africa.
The Jos Buttler-led rest of the England squad, which was training in Dubai, arrived later in the evening.
Being a fresh series, Team India players also trickled in from their respective hometowns.
Rising stars Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh were among the first to arrive in Kolkata at 4:30 pm.
Later in the evening, captain Suryakumar Yadav landed along with Tilak Varma, who shared a photo of the duo sitting together on the flight in his Instagram story.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and rest of the players checked in later in the evening.
Making his international comeback after more than 14 months, pacer Mohammed Shami and all-rounder Hardik Pandya are slated to land around midnight, said the local team manager.
Both teams will have three training sessions ahead of the opening T20I.
The England squad is scheduled for an afternoon practice session on Sunday, while Team India will take the field in the evening.
From Kolkata the teams will travel to Chennai for the second T20I (January 25).
The five-match series concludes in Mumbai on February 2.
It will be followed by ODIs in Nagpur (February 6), Cuttack (February 9), and Ahmedabad (February 12).
India enter the series on a high after a commanding 3-1 victory over South Africa in their previous T20I series. The team was led by Suryakumar Yadav.
Rohit Sharma will return to captain the ODI squad, which was announced in Mumbai on Saturday along with India's Champions Trophy roster.
Eden Gardens will be hosting its first International match since the ODI World Cup clash between Australia and South Africa on November 16, 2023.
The historic venue last hosted a T20I on February 20, 2022, when India faced the West Indies.
The Cricket Association of Bengal expects a capacity crowd for the series opener.
"With a bit of chill in the air and the festive season just behind us, it's the perfect time to enjoy cricket," said CAB president Snehasish Ganguly. "The response for tickets has been overwhelming, with queues stretching all the way to the High Court when counter sales began the other day. We are expecting a full house for the match."
To make the occasion even more memorable, the CAB has organised a special felicitation ceremony on Monday evening.
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