The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and Pakistan garnered massive anticipation as one of the marquee clashes of the tournament. However, the reality turned out to be a largely one-sided affair, as the Indian cricket team secured a convincing victory by a margin of seven wickets over the Babar Azam-led Pakistani side.
Indian bowlers, including the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, contributed with two wickets each, effectively limiting Pakistan to a modest total of 191 runs. Subsequently, the Indian batsmen, led by Rohit Sharma, smoothly pursued the target without encountering any significant hurdles.
This high-stakes cricket encounter took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where a sea of blue jerseys dominated the scene on a Saturday. Following the match, Mickey Arthur, the team director for Pakistan, commented on the atmosphere, remarking that the partisan nature of the crowd made it feel more like a ‘BCCI event’ than an ICC tournament.
Arthur stated, “I can’t deny the influence of the crowd. It didn’t have the typical ambiance of an ICC event; instead, it resembled a bilateral series or even a BCCI-sponsored event. The chants of ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ were notably scarce in the stadium tonight.”
However, he emphasized that the lack of support from the crowd shouldn’t be used as an excuse for their substantial defeat against India.
He further explained, “Certainly, the crowd’s support does play a role, but we won’t lean on it as an excuse. Our focus was on staying in the moment, concentrating on the next ball, and devising strategies to contend with the Indian players on the field.”
