A month after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule for the Cricket World Cup 2023 scheduled to take place in India, the biggest match of the tournament could witness a date change. In a possible logistical nightmare for fans and all other stakeholders, the security agencies have reportedly advised the BCCI to change the date of the high-octane India-Pakistan clash, set to take place on Sunday, October 15 at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
As per a report by The Indian Express, with the highly anticipated encounter set to clash with the first day of the Navratri celebrations in the country and specifically in Ahmedabad, the match could be shifted to avoid chaos.
“We are mulling the options that we have and a decision will be taken soon. We have been told by the security agencies that a high-profile game like India vs Pakistan, for which thousands of travelling fans are expected to reach Ahmedabad, should be avoided since they will be stretched because of Navratri,” a top BCCI official on conditions of anonymity was quoted as saying in the report.
Ahmedabad will host the four marquee clashes including the tournament opener between England and New Zealand, the India-Pakistan match, England vs Australia and the big final. Thousands have fans have already begun to book their travel and stay for the big game as hotel prices for mid-October in the city continue to rise and if the match does witness a change, the biggest stakeholder that will suffer the most will be the fans.
The report further stated that the BCCI secretary Jay Shah in a note to all the 10 host state associations for the World Cup has called for a meeting on Thursday, July 27 to take stock of any issue, which needs to be taken care of or any decision that might be made. It is likely that the final call on the date of the India-Pakistan match will be taken in the said meeting.
