However, with the election of BCCI Secretary Jay Shah in 2019, Ahmedabad has become the new capital of Indian cricket.
Opposition leaders raised the issue of Ahmedabad getting the big games while their home states were left without them. Disappointed that SportsHub in Thiruvananthapuram, which many call the best cricket stadium in India, is missing from the WorldCup2023 match list. Ahmedabad is becoming the new cricket capital of the country, but couldn’t a couple of matches be held in Kerala? tweeted Shashi Tharoor, Congress member from Thiruvananthapuram.
Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Mith Khayer said the decision not to hold matches in Mohali was politically motivated.
Test centers such as Nagpur and Mohali were left without a match venue, while Dharamsala and Lucknow became 50-over World Cup venues for the first time. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal is associated with the Himachal Pradesh unit headquartered in Dharamsala, while BCCI vice president Rajiv Shukla is the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association representative.
In 2011, Shashank Manohar of the Vidarbha Cricket Association was president of the BCCI when Nagpur was chosen to host the tournament. It is known that the Punjab Cricket Association could not participate because the BCCI feared that pro-Khalistan groups would use the World Cup to stage protests.
BCCI treasurer and BJP MP Ashish Shelar is from the Mumbai Cricket Association, and Guwahati, one of the three places where the warm-up games will be held, is the home of BCCI joint secretary Devajit Saikia.
At the event announcing the schedule in Mumbai, Shah said the tournament would show the world that the 50-over format, constantly trying to compete with the more popular T20 version, is still alive and growing. I know we argue about the future of ODIs, but this World Cup in India will put an end to that debate, he said.
India can look forward to a tough test in the first game, as they will face five-time champions Australia in Chennai on October 8. The hosts will be among the favorites and expect to repeat the feat that M. С. Dhoni and his charges achieved in 2011.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on the India-Pakistan match on October 15. Everyone is looking forward to the India-Pakistan match. Even me. I’m not sure what will happen that day.But the team that can handle the pressure well will win, said Virender Sehwag, who was part of the Dhoni team that won the World Cup.
Despite Pakistan Cricket Board’s doubts about playing India in Ahmedabad, their itinerary remains unchanged. Apart from Ahmedabad, Pakistan will play in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata.
A senior BCCI official told The Indian Express that if India and Pakistan meet each other in the semifinals, the match will be played in Kolkata, not Mumbai. There are concerns that political parties might disrupt the game, so if the India-Pakistan semifinal takes place, it will be played in Kolkata. However, if India plays any other team, it will be in Mumbai, he said.
In 1991, Shiv Sena workers trenched the pitch at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium before the India-Pakistan match. After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Shiv Sena opposed Pakistan playing in the city.
Ten teams will participate in the World Cup. While India, Afghanistan, Australia, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa are confirmed participants, two more teams will be selected during the World Cup qualifying tournament currently being held in Zimbabwe. In addition to former world champions Sri Lanka and the West Indies, Nepal, Ireland, Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, UAE, USA and Zimbabwe are also in the qualifying tournament.