"Ahmedabad is becoming the new cricket capital of the country." Shashi Tharoor and Rajeev Shukla are at loggerheads as ICC announces World Cup 2023 schedule.
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00:00All the prestigious matches seem to be going to Andhra Pradesh, including India-Pakistan.
00:03That, I think, is a big mistake on the part of the BCCI.
00:06We should always keep in mind, ICCI has to approve all those venues.
00:11It's not purely in BCCI's hands.
00:30The first match of the tournament is in Ahmedabad, and the tournament ends in Ahmedabad.
00:42The final is there, and all the prestigious matches seem to be going to Ahmedabad, including
00:46India-Pakistan.
00:47So, obviously, this is the new cricketing capital.
00:49Well, it's a stadium for a lack of 20,000 people, 30,000 people, so obviously, I mean,
00:55more and more people can be accommodated because everybody wants to watch this match.
00:59Even if it happens in a smaller venue, it becomes a problem.
01:03Mohali, Ranchi, there are places that are substantial towns with good cricket following
01:09and with excellent stadiums that could have been given an opportunity also to host a World
01:13Cup match.
01:14All bilateral matches will be, you know, given to Mohali, there will be no discrimination.
01:20This 100th Test match of Virat Kohli had been given to Mohali, so it's not that.
01:24But their Mallapur stadium is getting ready, it's yet to be finished.
01:28But this Mohali was not, you know, meeting the standard fixed by ICC.
01:32That's why it has been denied.
01:33I don't think it is necessary for any one venue to get four or five matches.
01:37They could have easily got two, three matches and given one or two to other places.
01:41And that, I think, is a big mistake on the part of the BCCI.
01:44You should always keep in mind, ICCI has to approve all those venues.
01:48It's not purely in BCCI's hands, ICCI has to approve those venues.
01:52So all those who are raising objections, they should realize that we need the consent of
01:56ICCI also while picking up these venues.
01:59And I can tell you that the Sports Hub Stadium, the Greenfield Stadium, as it's called in
02:03Thiruvananthapuram, has been hailed by everybody who has played there.
02:06Extraordinary facilities.
02:08When Trivandrum's Sports Hub hosted the national games, Sachin Tendulkar was in the audience.
02:14He was sitting next to me.
02:15He said, this must be the best stadium in India.
02:17I won't hold him against that because since then other stadiums have been built.
02:21But it's certainly one of the best stadiums in India because even if new stadiums have
02:25come up, this is the highest standard.
02:27So for all of these reasons, I would have loved to have seen at least one, if not two
02:32World Cup matches in Thiruvananthapuram.
02:35Now about 12 venues have been picked up.
02:38Out of these two, two will be hosting qualifying matches or warm-up matches like Trivandrum
02:44and Guwahati.
02:45And the remaining 10 venues will be having league matches.
02:49Trivandrum has been given warm-up matches.
02:52That is for the first time.
02:53So it's not that any centre has been ignored or any zone has been ignored.