BCCI announced the 15-member Team India squad for World Cup 2023.
India will host the 50-over World Cup as a solo host for the first time and third time overall and is one of the biggest cricketing extravaganzas to happen in the country. The tournament will start on October 5 with New Zealand taking on defending champions England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Indian team will open their tournament campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai. Their most awaited match against Pakistan will come on October 14, to be played in Ahmedabad in front of over 100,000 crowd.
The final of the tournament will also be played in Ahmedabad on November 19.
The BCCI has just announced the Indian 15-member squad for the World Cup 2023 to be led by Rohit Sharma.
However, former India cricketer and part of the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup winning teams, Virender Sehwag has made a huge request to the BCCI regarding the name of the country which will go on the jerseys which the players will wear in the World Cup.
Sehwag wants BCCI to use ‘Bharat’ instead of ‘India’ on the World Cup jerseys that the players will wear as India was a name given by the Britishers, while Bharat is what the nation was known before being ruled by the British for over 200 years.
He posted on X: “I have always believed a name should instill pride in us. We are Bhartiyas,India is a name given by the British & it has been long overdue to get our original name ‘Bharat’ back officially. I urge the @BCCI @JayShah to ensure that this World Cup our players have Bharat on our chest.”
He further added that the Netherlands team did the same as when they played in the 1996 World Cup, they were known as Holland but changed back to the original name of Netherlands when they competed in the 2003 World Cup.
“In the 1996 World Cup,Netherlands came to play in the World Cup in Bharat as Holland. In 2003 when we met them, they were in the Netherlands & continue to be so. Burma has changed the name given by the British back to Myanmar. And many others have gone back to their original name,” he posted.
Sehwag also quoted the BCCI announcement of India’s World Cup squad and said: “Team India nahin #TeamBharat. This World Cup as we cheer for Kohli, Rohit , Bumrah, Jaddu , may we have Bharat in our hearts and the players wear jersey which has “Bharat” @JayShah”