The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will witness yet another highly anticipated clash when India takes on Pakistan in October. The highly anticipated match will be held at the National Stadium in Ahmedabad, on Saturday, October 14, and will be India’s eighth appearance in the Men’s World Cup.
Historically, India and Pakistan have met on seven previous occasions – in 1992 (twice), 1996 (twice), 1999 (twice), 2003 (twice), 2011 (twice), 2015 (twice), and 2019.
The two teams have not faced each other since their inaugural encounter in 1992, with the most recent meeting taking place in 2007, however, this was a disaster for both teams, as they were eliminated from the tournament in the first round. Prior to this, India had triumphed in the seven previous meetings, a streak that extended into the T20 World Cup. However, this was interrupted in 2021, with India reclaiming the advantage with a dramatic victory in 2022, thanks to a remarkable chase at The MCG, which was masterminded by Virat Kohli.
The last time the two teams faced each other in the ODI World Cup, it was at Old Trafford in 2019. India achieved a massive total of 336/5, largely thanks to Rohit Sharma’s brilliant 140 off 113 balls. In response, Pakistan were restricted to 212/6, in a match that was played in torrential rain. The match was even more memorable in 2011, when India defeated Pakistan in the semi-final of the Home World Cup in Mohali, thanks to an innings of 85 from Tendulkar. The hosts’ bowlers, led by Ravindra Jadeja, showed a unified effort to bowl Pakistan out for 29 runs, thus ending the jinx. Pakistan will now be looking to repeat the same feat in the ODI format of the World Cup when it takes place on 14 October.
The Effects of India Vs Pakistan Clash
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that India vs Pakistan match will take place on October 14, rather than October 15 due to the first day of Navratri, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This has led to a surge in the prices of both hotel and air travel, with 5-star hotels being fully booked and flight prices increasing five-fold. Advance bookings for star category hotels have been almost completed, with one-day rentals ranging from 20,000 rupees for three-level hotels to 2,500 rupees for five-star hotels, and presidential suite bookings ranging from 1 lakh to 2,5 lakh rupees.
If the game were to take place on the same date, the city’s security and other services would be strained to the breaking point if the India-Pakistan match also took place on the same day.
The Hotel Association anticipates that once the match tickets have been confirmed, all hotels and flats within a 100 km radius of Ahmedabad, both small and large, will have been booked fully. This is due to the fact that tickets for the match have not yet been sold, and once the tickets are confirmed, prices will rise at other locations as well. The stadium has a capacity of over 1 lakh spectators, with approximately 30-40 thousand of them coming from outside Gujarat, as well as other Indian states and international countries, resulting in an increase in ticket prices.
The Ahmedabad Presidential Suite is a five-star deluxe hotel with approximately 180 rooms, all of which are nearly full. Prior to this, the officials and members of staff associated with BCCI and International Cricket Council matches have been accommodated at the hotel. To gain insight into the pricing of the Presidential Suite, our team visited the hotel and gained an understanding of the amenities available. Air travel has become increasingly expensive in recent times, with prices ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 rupees for flights departing from Mumbai, Delhi, and Ahmedabad between October 13 and 15. This is significantly higher than the usual fare of 2.5 thousand to 5,000 rupees, which has risen five times due to the match. “This is the situation at which the ticket sale for the match has not even begun,” stated Narendra Somani of the Gujarat Hotels and Restaurant Association (GHTRA). “The biggest club in the city, Karnavati, has already booked rooms for their guests and is also making arrangements for AC in the club’s open-air theater to accommodate 10,000 spectators for the match, which will be celebrated like a musical festival.”
Moreover, Hotel prices have seen a significant rise of 20%, with rooms now costing close to Rs 59,000 on October 15. This is significantly higher than the Rs 4,000 price tag of July 4, when the same rooms were available for Rs 4,000. Other hotels, such as Pride Plaza, are expected to charge around Rs 75,000 for a night, while ITC’s Welcome Hotel is expected to charge between Rs 90,000 and 1,0000 on October 15, which is typically around Rs 5500 per night. Demand for hotel and flight tickets is also increasing, however, there is no word yet on the availability of tickets for the 2023 World Cup. State organizations have begun to disclose the cost of the event, however, no data on sales is available.
Domino Effect On Other Teams Due To India Vs Pakistan
Move one and all other dominos will fall. And that’s exactly what happened with World Cup 2023 Schedule. It is clear that the BCCI is to blame for the disruption caused by the Secretary’s failure to anticipate a conflict between Navratri and a high-profile match between India and Pakistan in the national capital. Consequently, the alteration of the match between India vs Pakistan and then again in the match between India and England in Kolkata necessitated the alteration of as many as seven matches as per the revised schedule of the World Cup.
Pakistan was initially scheduled to take on Sri Lanka on the 12th and India on the 15th of October, however, as the date of India vs PAK has been postponed by one day, Pakistan will now only have 48 hours of rest. This has necessitated the alteration of the PAK vs Sri Lanka schedule. Before it was the 12th of October, Pakistan will now play Sri Lanka on the 10th, allowing for a four-day interval between the two matches.
In order to fill the void on the 12th, ICC has rescheduled the crucial match between Australia and South Africa, which was initially scheduled for the 13th of October. New Zealand and Bangladesh, which were initially listed for the 14th of October, will now take place on the 13th.
The 15th of October will see England play Afghanistan in Delhi, which was previously scheduled for the 14th as per the World Cup Schedule.
The scheduled match between Pakistan and England on November 12 has been postponed by one day due to the BCCI and ICC’s failure to anticipate the Kali Puja clash. The revised World Cup Schedule has included a doubleheader on November 12, with Pakistan vs England being replaced by Australia vs Bangladesh. The doubleheader will take place on November 11, with Australia vs Bangladesh scheduled to take place at 10.30 AM. On Diwali evening, November 12, India will host the Netherlands to wrap up the league stage at Bengaluru.