Ahmedabad likely to host India-Pakistan match during 2023 ODI World Cup: Reports

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is likely to host the marquee India-Pakistan match during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, which is scheduled to be played in October-November. With a seating capacity of over 1 lakh, the venue is the largest cricket stadium in the World Cup.

While the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is currently underway, it is believed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will announce the World Cup 2023 schedule at a grand launch once the T20 league concluded.

As per a report in The Indian Express, seven venues will host India’s league matches. Apart from the India-Pakistan game, Ahmedabad could witness the hosts playing again if they make it to the final.

The report added that if things go as per plan, the World Cup will begin on October 5. Nagpur, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Rajkot, Indore, Bengaluru, and Dharamshala are the short-listed venues. Pakistan could play most of their games in Chennai and Bengaluru owing to security reasons.

Sources were also quoted telling the newspaper that Team India have requested BCCI to allot games against Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa to venues that assist spinners. A source told The Indian Express:

“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.”

Meanwhile, the BCCI has allotted more than ₹500 crore to upgrade stadiums across India ahead of the World Cup. Clean toilets, easy access, and clean seats are said to be the top priorities with regard to the hosts’ upgradation mission.

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India vs Pakistan in the ODI World Cup

India have never lost to Pakistan in the ODI World Cup to date. The arch-rivals have met seven times in ICC competition, with the Men in Blue emerging victorious on each occasion.

The first clash between the two teams in the ODI World Cup took place in Sydney in 1992. India won the game by 43 runs as Sachin Tendulkar notched up an unbeaten 54.

The Asian neighbors met again in 1996 in the quarter-final played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In a game where emotions ran high, Venkatesh Prasad famously gave Aamer Sohail a send-off. The hosts won the knockout clash by 39 runs.

Another famous World Cup encounter took place in 2003 in Centurion, where a sublime Tendulkar ton led India to a comprehensive six-wicket win.

India and Pakistan’s most recent ODI World Cup clash came during the 2019 edition. Rohit Sharma’s 140 lifted India to an 89-run win (D/L method) in Manchester.