With the high-voltage India-Pakistan 2023 ODI World Cup clash booked for October 15th at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, fans have gone berserk over the match at the iconic venue. Outgoing PCB Chief Najam Sethi's request for a change in venue earlier this year has made the clash even more mouth-watering.
During a chat with the Indian Express a month ago, Sethi remarked, 'I don’t want to go into the politics of it but certainly there seems to be a political angle to this because if there’s one city where we might have security issues, it’s Ahmedabad. And therefore, I think the less said about that, the better. It gave the impression that this was a red herring that was thrown in our way to tell us, ‘hey, we are going to play you in Ahmedabad and you watch out. You know who rules Ahmedabad.'
The Men in Blue already hold the aces over Pakistan in 50-over World Cups as they have won all 7 matches taken place since 1992. The 2019 World Cup clash at the Old Trafford in Manchester saw Virat Kohli and co. beating Pakistan by 89 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method. Nevertheless, the only ODI between India and Pakistan held in Ahmedabad was won by the latter when they chased down 316 for victory in 2005.
The Men in Green also have a sensational bowling attack, with Shaheen Shah Afridi leading the pack. The likes of Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf are equally capable of causing trouble for the Indian batters. On the batting front, all eyes will be on their captain Babar Azam, who holds the number one ranking in ODI cricket now.
Meanwhile, here's how fans have reacted to the India-Pakistan 2023 World Cup schedule:
