AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — The 10 team captains at the Cricket World Cup took part in a photo shoot at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday on the eve of the tournament, with India's Rohit Sharma looking forward to seeing the venue “jam packed” with home fans.
The tournament kicks off on Thursday with England playing New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final. While 10 venues across India will host games, this year's final will also be played at the 134,000-seater in Ahmedabad on Nov. 19.
Sharma is under immense pressure to emulate his countryman MS Dhoni's achievement in 2011 and lift the trophy in November. It has been a decade since cricket-mad India won an ICC trophy.
“Winning the ODI World Cup is something that I have always dreamt of growing up as a child," Sharma said. “Indian fans are going to love this tournament here. This stadium is going to be jam packed because people in India love their team, but they love their cricket as well. It is going to be a great tournament.”
The highlight of the tournament, all captains agreed, will undoubtedly be the much-anticipated game between archrivals India and Pakistan in Ahmedabad on Oct. 14, which is sure to draw a massive global audience.
“There aren’t too many events where half the world tunes in to watch, and that is India playing Pakistan in a World Cup for you," Australia captain Pat Cummins said. "Even if you are personally not involved, you watch and feel the passion around the game. There will be easily over 100,000 people here.”
It is the first time in seven years that a Pakistan team is visiting India, and captain Babar Azam was impressed by the reception his team has received.
“We were not expecting this, but the way Indian people have responded to us, everyone in our team has enjoyed it," Azam said. "We have been in Hyderabad for a week, but it feels like we are at home. It is a golden opportunity for us to give 100 per cent and enjoy this tournament.”
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
