India will be aiming for their third title and the second at home when they begin their campaign in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup against Australia in Chennai on 8 October. Tipped as favorites, the Men in Blue are keen to recover lost ground after having last won the trophy back in 2011.
“It’s going to be a great experience playing in the World Cup at home. India won here 12 years ago, and I know fans nationwide can’t wait for us to take the field this time,” said India skipper Rohit Sharma.
“This World Cup is going to be very competitive as the game has become faster and teams are playing more positively than ever before. All this augurs well for fans worldwide, promising them many thrilling moments. We look forward to preparing well and being at our best this October-November.”
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The tournament opens on 5 October with a match between last time’s finalists England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which will also be the venue of India’s match against arch-rivals Pakistan on 15 October.
India play all their nine league matches at different venues including the new Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
India captain Rohit Sharma said he was hoping his team would live up to expectation of the home crowds.
Ahmedabad will host the tournament opener as well as the final. The other venues are Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune. Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram join Hyderabad in hosting the practice matches.
Eight teams have qualified for the 46-day event through the Cricket World Cup Super League while the final two spots will be taken by the finalists of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier taking place in Zimbabwe.
It’s OFFICIAL! India vs Pakistan World Cup match on October 15 in Ahmedabad
The tournament retains the round-robin format of last time with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches. There are six day matches in the tournament, which will start at 10h30 local time. All other matches, including the knockouts, will be day-night fixtures starting at 14h00.
The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals to be played in Mumbai on 15 November and in Kolkata on 16 November. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
India’s fixtures at World Cup (day-night matches unless indicated otherwise):
8 October – vs Australia, Chennai
11 October – vs Afghanistan, Delhi
15 October – vs Pakistan, Ahmedabad
19 October – Bangladesh, Pune
22 October – vs New Zealand, Dharamsala
29 October – vs England, Lucknow
2 November – vs Qualifier 2, Mumbai
5 November – vs South Africa, Kolkata
11 November – Qualifier 1, Bengaluru
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