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Why was the Uruguay football team playing cricket in Eden Gardens, Kolkata?
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- Why was the Uruguay football team playing cricket in Eden Gardens, Kolkata?
Why was the Uruguay football team playing cricket in Eden Gardens, Kolkata? originally appeared on Cricket News . Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
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Uruguay's footballers visited Eden Gardens and tried their hand at cricket ahead of their friendly against India.
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India faces Uruguay at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on October 6.
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Eden Gardens is the home ground of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League .
Uruguay's footballers get a taste of cricket at Eden Gardens ahead of India friendly
Uruguay's national football team took a detour from its usual pre-match routine on Sunday, swapping footballs for bats and pads during a visit to Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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The two-time FIFA World Cup champions are in the city ahead of their friendly against India, and the squad clearly could not resist sampling the country's most popular sport while they were there.
The team's official account posted footage of the players picking up bats for a casual session at the historic ground. "We visited Eden Gardens and tried cricket, India's most popular sport," the post read .
They soon tweeted another post that simply greeted the city with "Namaste, Kolkata." The visit comes amid a genuinely unprecedented stretch of international football for Indian fans, with three World Cup nations, Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay, all touring the country within the same FIFA window.
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Why was Uruguay playing cricket at Eden Gardens?
There was no formal reason tied to the fixture itself; this was simply a lighthearted cultural stop built into Uruguay's travel schedule in Kolkata.
Eden Gardens remains one of the most recognizable sporting venues in India, often described as the "home of Indian cricket", and a visit from a touring international squad is a natural way to mark the occasion.
Uruguay's head coach, Diego Forlan, already has a personal connection to Indian football, having played for Mumbai City FC in 2016, which may have added to the team's comfort exploring more of the local sporting culture during this trip.
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When is India vs. Uruguay?
India faces Uruguay in an international friendly at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, also known as Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. IST.
It is India's third high-profile friendly of this FIFA window, following matches against Panama in Bengaluru on September 26 and Brazil, also in Kolkata, on October 3.
How to watch India vs. Uruguay in India
TV channel:Sony Sports Network
Live streaming:SonyLIV
Fans in India can watch the match live on the Sony Sports Network, with streaming available through the SonyLIV app and website.
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Will any cricketer be attending the match?
No cricketer's attendance has been officially confirmed for the fixture at the time of writing. Given Eden Gardens' prominence in Indian cricket and the buzz already generated by Uruguay's visit there, it would not be surprising if a familiar cricketing face turned up in Kolkata for the occasion, but nothing has been reported to that effect so far.
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