Ganguly expresses concern at dwindling crowd

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly Tuesday expressed concern at the low turnout at the Eden Gardens and said people need to be drawn back to Test cricket.

"It was sad to see an empty Eden Gardens. Something seriously needs to be done to get the crowd back to the stadiums," said Ganguly.

There were barely a thousand people to watch the first day's play of the second Test between India and West Indies at the historic ground which used to be teeming with spectators.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is looking at various ideas like day-and-night Test matches to attract crowds to Test cricket.

Ganguly, however, felt that playing Test matches under floodlight was not feasible in the subcontinent because of the dew factor.

"In the subcontinent, there is dew in the evening, I don't think day-night would be an option. But Test format is mother of cricket and we've got to find a solution to it," said Ganguly on the sidelines of practice for the Bengal Ranji Trophy team.

Asked about Sachin Tendulkar's much-awaited 100th international century, Ganguly said: "It's just a matter of time."

"I don't think pressure is getting on him. He has been there for 22 years and the burden of expectation has always been there. The way he got to the 99th, he will get to the 100th."