11 games, 11 venues and 12,000 kilometers travel in total, Rohit Sharma & Co are set for a marathon World Cup 2023 even if they don’t reach the semifinals. That’s an average of 1090 km travel per match. It is the first time that India will host a 50-over World Cup entirely on its own. But for India Cricket Team and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it is nothing sort of a harakiri. The injury-prone and plagued team will be the most travelled team and that raises concerns.
Like all other teams, India will begin with warm-ups. But both warm-ups will be played in two corners of India. India take on England in the first warm-up on September 30 and then travel 2500 km to Thiruvananthapuram for the warm-up against a Qualifier on October 3. BCCI understands how hectic the schedule could be but to reignite the love for ODIs, the Indian board and the ICC have forced Rohit Sharma & Co into Bharat Darshan.
“Yes, it’s true that we will be the most travelled team by the end of the World Cup. But for a tournament of this size and for what is at stake here, it’s necessary to have a pan-India presence. Fans want to see India team play. That is why we are playing in North, East, West and South all centers,” a BCCI official told InsideSport.
Also Read: Spin-heavy, flat pitches for India’s World Cup 2023 games vs AUS, ENG, PAK
India WC journey: From Warm-ups to league stage
- Guwahati to Thiruvananthapuram: 3,400km (Aerial distance: 2506 km)
- Thiruvananthapuram to Chennai: 780km (621 km)
- Chennai to Delhi: 2,200km (1760 km)
- Delhi to Ahmedabad: 950km (775 km)
- Ahmedabad to Pune: 650km (518 km)
- Pune to Dharamshala: 1900km (1543 km)
- Dharamshala to Lucknow: 1000km (748 km)
- Lucknow to Mumbai: 1400km (1190 km)
- Mumbai to Kolkata: 1900km (1652 km)
- Kolkata to Bengaluru: 2000km, Last league game (1560 km)
- Total Distance Travelled: 16,180 km (12,125 km air travel)
Team India injury concerns
Despite evenly spreading the travelling time, Team India will crisscross the entire country. And if they reach semifinal and final, it is only going to increase. It raises the question, is it okay for a team that has been riddled with injuries to travel that much, especially after tiring 100-over games?
“It’s not that we are travelling by road. So, that should not be a worry. But yes, the travel fatigue could definitely creep in at the end of the tournament. But with the NCA and physios working with the team, they are all aware of what to do,” the official said.
The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are still injured besides Rishabh Pant. Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja are two more injury-prone players and Bharat Darshan could cost them.
To make things worse, India will tour the Caribbean islands for a month-long series. And then, they will travel to Sri Lanka for Asia Cup. Following Asia Cup, India play Australia at home. Hence, by the end of World Cup 2023, Team India would have travelled more than 30,000 km. That’s more than the radius of planet Earth.
“In the case of Indian team, you can’t deny any of the nine associations a chance to watch their stars in action. You had to accommodate each and every member association and hence it’s a bit choc-a-bloc,” a BCCI official told PTI on Tuesday.
India World Cup 2023 Schedule
- IND vs ENG Warm-up: Sep 30, Guwahati
- IND vs Qualifier Warm-up: Oct 3, Thiruvananthapuram
- IND vs AUS: Sun 08 October at 2 PM Chidambaram, Chennai
- IND vs AFG: Wed 11 October at 2 PM, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
- IND vs PAK: Sun 15 October at 2 PM, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- IND vs BAN: Thu 19 October at 2 PM, MCA Stadium, Pune
- IND vs NZ: Sun 22 October at 2 PM, HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala
- IND vs ENG: Sun 29 October at 2 PM, Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
- IND vs Q2: Thu 02 November at 2 PM, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
- IND vs SA: Sun 05 November, Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- IND vs Q1: Sat 11 November, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
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