World Cup 2023: India to face top teams on slow pitches, India vs Pakistan at Narendra Modi Stadium - Report

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World Cup 2023: The Indian team management has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India to prepare slow pitches for matches against the top team at the upcoming ICC men's ODI World Cup 2023.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the BCCI is set to ask Team India for their preference for the matches to be played in the World Cup. The report has also suggested that the team has requested the board to allot fixtures against Australia, New Zealand, England, and South Africa at venues that assist spinners.

“The Indian team has performed well on slow tracks in the past few years at home. So, the team management had requested that whenever the schedule is being prepared the Indian team should face top teams on slow pitches. They wanted to have a home advantage,” a source was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

There are strong chance that India’s fixture against Australia will be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The report further stated that the state associations have already filed nominations to host games in the World Cup and a final call on the allotment to the venues would be taken later.

Narendra Modi Stadium likely to host India vs Pakistan match

The Narendra Modi stadium, the largest cricket stadium in the world, has emerged as the 'front-runner’ to host the high-profile game. A lot of cricket fans would be arriving in India from across the world to witness the high-octane clash and Stadium's capacity to host 1,32,000 fans has given it an edge over other venues.

The BCCI is likely to announce the schedule of the 2023 World Cup with a grand ceremony following the conclusion of the IPL 2023 It has earlier been reported that the board is mulling to kick off the tournament from October 5.

Delhi, Lucknow, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Kolkata, Rajkot, Indore, Bengaluru, and Dharamshala have been shortlisted as the hosting grounds, including the practice fixture.