Eden experience changed Arthur's vision towards coaching

A match at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata made Mickey Arthur realise the transition he has gone through in his life from being a provincial coach to the head of the South Africa national cricket team.

A match at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata made Mickey Arthur realise the transition he has gone through in his life from being a provincial coach to the head of the South Africa national cricket team.

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"My first experience of Eden Gardens was when the enormity of the change in my life hit me: 80,000 people in a cauldron of frenetic, heaving activity.
It was a long, long way from the De Beers Diamond Oval and Buffalo Park (regional grounds in South Africa)," Arthur wrote in his biography 'Taking the Mickey'.

"The magnitude of the job hit me hard, but in a very pleasant way. I was daunted, but not intimidated. I knew I could cope, but more than that, I believed I could thrive," Arthur wrote commenting on the Proteas tour of India in November 2005.

There had already been matches in Hyderabad, Bangalore and an abandoned game at Chennai before Eden Gardens left Arthur in awe.

Arthur, however, conceded that he had to change his views in later years because of the better facilities available in the major cities.