The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 schedule is finally out. And if you are an Indian fan and want to follow Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the final time in a 50-over World Cup, you can actually undertake a real Bharat Darshan. Each venue that India will be playing in has a story attached to it. Chennai, where Rohit’s team will start their World Cup journey, played host to one of the best Yuvraj Singh innings in the 2011 World Cup. The hundred set Yuvi up going into knockouts, and all of India will be hoping that Kohli can do something similar on October 9 against Australia.
From Chennai, we move to the national capital and the Arun Jaitley Stadium. India will play Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan in Delhi and it could be a clash of the spinners. Rashid and Noor Ahmad versus Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal could be fascinating. And if we go back in history, Delhi has seen upsets. In the 1996 World Cup, despite a Sachin Tendulkar century, Sanath Jayasuriya led Sri Lanka to a commanding win and set the tone for the rest of the tournament. It was the Bazball way before Brendon McCullum even came on the scene.
From Delhi, we move to Ahmedabad for the most high-octane clash of the World Cup. India versus Pakistan will always be the most-hyped game and in front of 100,000 people, it could be the biggest test for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid against a very good Pakistan team under Babar Azam. It was in Ahmedabad, albeit in a different stadium, that India beat Australia in 2011 and made the semi-finals. It was one of India’s finest wins in World Cup history, with Suresh Raina and Yuvraj standing up for the hosts. Against the backdrop of all that is going on, the Pakistan match will always have extra political significance.
India then cross over to the Maharastrian city of Pune for the clash against Bangladesh. Bangladesh has always been a thorn in ICC World Cups and 2007 is still fresh for many of us avid followers of the game. Even in 2015, Bangladesh had pushed India in Australia, and had it not been for a Rohit Sharma century, things could have been close.
The caravan then moves to the beautiful stadium of Dharamsala and if you wish to travel, it is advisable to make your hotel bookings immediately. It is one of the most beautiful cricket stadiums in the country and could well be a game that India will play with that bit of extra passion. For many of the players including Kohli, the experience of the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final in Manchester in 2019 against New Zealand is still pretty fresh.
The journey then turns to the royal city of Lucknow where it will be all festive at the end of October. And you can indulge your culinary tastes with some delectable kebabs as you enjoy the cricket against England, the reigning world champions, at the Ekana stadium.
Eden Gardens plays host to India versus South Africa on November 5, and there could be no better city than early-November Kolkata. The onset of winter means the city will offer the best in food and culture, and the passionate crowd at the Eden Gardens will turn up in full force to cheer Rohit and his team.
If all goes well, India will play the semi-final at the Wankhede, a stadium made immortal by the 2011 World Cup win. Rohit, who missed out on the 2011 World Cup, will surely want to make things memorable on home soil. And if he does, we will finally move to the mammoth Narendra Modi Stadium one more time for the mega final.
Needless to say, it is India’s best chance to win an ICC Trophy after a gap of 10 years, and perhaps the most important assignment for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.
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