Even though the ODI World Cup 2023 is still five months away, there is a lot of buzz in the cricket fraternity around the quadrennial event, slated to be held in India.
While the schedule for the 50-over World Cup is yet to be released, a report published in The Indian Express on Friday (May 5) claims that high-octane India versus Pakistan clash in the showpiece tournament will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
As per the report, the BCCI had decided to stage the marquee game at the Ahmedabad stadium in anticipation of a huge crowd. With a seating capacity of more than 1 lakh, the Narendra Modi Stadium is by far the largest in India.
The Indian board will reportedly announce the World Cup schedule at a grand launch once the ongoing IPL season gets over.
According to the report, the ICC Cricket World Cup is likely to get underway on October 5, with Nagpur, Bengaluru, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Rajkot, Indore, Bengaluru and Dharamshala being shortlisted as venues.
It is understood that Pakistan may play most of their matches in Chennai and Bengaluru due to security issues. On the other hand, only seven will host India’s league matches out of the aforementioned venues.
The report further suggests that the BCCI also consulted with the Indian team management and asked its preferences for the venues.
The Indian team, sources said, wants to play their matches against top teams like Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa on slow pitches to maximise the home advantage.
“The Indian team has performed well on slow tracks in the past few years at home. So the team management had requested that whenever the schedule is being prepared the Indian team should face top teams on slow pitches. They wanted to have a home advantage,” a source in the BCCI told The Indian Express.
The sources added that Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium will be hosting India’s match against Australia while games against New Zealand, England, South Africa will be played in other centers where pitches will be slow.
(The Indian ExpressInputs)
