India: India will be hosting Pakistan in a thrilling match at the upcoming 2023 ICC World Cup. The match is to take place on 15th October in Ahmedabad, a city in India. The World Cup will witness a total of 48 matches played across 12 different venues. The grand finale will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 19th November 2023.
This confirmation follows months of speculation regarding Pakistan’s participation in the tournament. The two nations have a historically strained relationship, which has often affected their sporting engagements. Earlier, Pakistan had even threatened to boycott the World Cup after India declined to visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup and insisted on relocating the tournament to a neutral venue.
Notably, Pakistan is also set to host their first Asia Cup since 2008, just a few weeks before India hosts the 50-over World Cup. However, due to the prevailing tensions, the Asia Cup will now be held in a hybrid format, with some matches taking place in Pakistan and the remaining, including India’s matches, scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka.
According to the official schedule released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Pakistan will play their World Cup league matches in five Indian cities. India’s World Cup journey will kick off on 8th October 2023 with a match against Australia in Chennai, a city in the southern part of India. The Indian team, eager to recreate their triumph from 2011, aims to secure another victory in the tournament, just like the memorable win against Sri Lanka in the final held in Mumbai.
A total of 10 teams will participate in the tournament, with eight teams already finalized and the remaining two to be decided through qualifier matches. The teams will be divided into two groups, where each team will play against all the others in their group.
The top teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals. The first-placed team from one group will face the fourth-placed team from the other, while the second and third-placed teams will compete against each other. The winners will then progress to the finals. In the group stage, India is scheduled to face Pakistan in Ahmedabad on 15th October 2023.
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