Renowned Indian Sports Journalist Vikrant Gupta revealed that Chennai will be the backup option to host the much anticipated India- Pakistan game if the Pakistan Government does not allow their team to play the match in the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
India will take on their arch-rivals Pakistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15. This match is expected to be one of the most-watched in the tournament. The last game between both sides in the 2022 T20 World Cup went down to the wire, with India winning the match in the final ball of the game, as the match shattered broadcasting records across the globe being the most watched match in Cricket history.
According to Journalist Vikrant Gupta, Chennai would be the backup venue to host the match, if Pakistan refuses to play their game in Ahmedabad
“If the Pakistan government does not allow Pakistan to play against India at Ahmedabad, then Chennai will be used as a backup option,” Vikrant Gupta said on Aaj Tak
PCB officials said that Pakistan Cricket Board requires the permission of their Government to play the matches in India and revealed that they awaiting a response from the Government regarding their stand in the venue to play the matches and said that they will share the update to ICC once the decision was made by the Pakistan Authorities in coming days
“The board requires the Government of Pakistan’s clearance for any tour to India, including the match venues. We are liaising with our government for guidance, and as soon as we hear something from them, we will update the Event Authority [ICC]. This position is consistent with what we had told the ICC a couple of weeks ago when they shared with us the draft schedule and sought our feedback,” A PCB official told
Earlier it was reported that, if India and Pakistan both qualify for the semi-finals against each other, the match is most likely to be shifted out of Mumbai and probably play in Kolkata, as Pakistan are reluctant to play their matches in Mumbai due to the security threats.
I Don’t Understand These Unnecessary Statements- Wasim Akram
Former Pakistan Cricketer Wasim Akram slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board and the officials over their statement on refusing to play in Ahmedabad as he feels the players will be keen to play in any venues offered to them in the Marquee event.
“I don’t understand these unnecessary statements like ‘we won’t play in Ahmedabad’. Ask Pakistan players, they don’t care, they will play where they are scheduled to play,” Wasim Akram said.
Earlier, Wasim Akram stated that Men in Green has got a great chance of winning the ODI World Cup later this year in India as the Babar Azam-led side has been performing consistently well in the ODI Format over the last few years.