The opening match of the 2023 ODI World Cup saw New Zealand soundly thrashing England in what was seen as a re-match of the epic 2019 World Cup final between the two teams. In a way, New Zealand had their early revenge in the World Cup rivalry and also sounded a warning bell to all other opponents. But aside from the cricketing action, a big talking point during and after the match has been the empty-looking Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad that hosted the match. Images and videos of vast swathes of vacant seats in the stadium have been doing the rounds on social media, and it is not a pretty sight. (Highlights | Scorecard | Full Coverage)
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Narendra Modi Stadium is the world's largest cricket stadium with a capacity of 132,000, and many experts and fans alike observed that the massive seating capability of the stadium meant that even if a sizeable number of spectators thronged the stadium, it might still appear empty. And hence the choice of this venue for the opening match of the marquee tournament was called into question.
Most of the other cricket stadiums across the world have a capacity below 50,000, and while a 40,000-strong crowd would be enough to fill up majority of the stadiums, it might not be enough when it comes to the Ahmedabad stadium.
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There was also discussion around the fact that this was not a match involving the Indian cricket team, and that might have had a big bearing on the attendance. Some even suggested that the empty stadium is evidence that Indian fans love watching the Indian cricket team in action, and not cricket action in general.
Accordingly, there were others who felt that the World Cup should have started with an India match so as to get the spectators engaged right from the get-go, and heighten the buzz around the event.
Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag believed that since it was not an India match, tickets should have been free for school and college-going students. Sehwag wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that with the "fading interest in 50 over game", the move would help as it would let youngsters experience a World Cup game and give players the chance to play in front of a full stadium.
There were also murmurs about high ticket prices and mismanagement with regard to late ticket sales, last-minute venue changes and inadequate marketing for the event. The high-voltage India vs Pakistan match, scheduled to be played at the same Narendra Modi Stadium on October 14, has also seen complaints from fans regarding the unavailability of tickets, and fans from Pakistan still await their visas to be able to travel to India for the quadrennial extravaganza.
