Why Ahmedabad, host of India vs Pakistan World Cup match, is well worth visiting besides the cricket
- The commercial capital of India’s Gujarat state is preparing to host five Cricket World Cup matches but this richly historical city has so much more to offer
Rohit Dev, a banking professional living in New Delhi, has booked his flights. Mumbai-based writer Ismat Amin has reserved a hotel. Rakesh Patel, founder of The Bharat Army, one of the largest Indian cricket supporters groups, is sitting in London waiting for confirmation of match tickets.
In a time when politics and religion divide the country there’s one thing that unites India: cricket.
The passion for the sport is so pervasive that the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 (October 5 to November 19) has led to an upsurge in sports tourism.
“The event has always been one of the most sought-after in India,” says Krishna Rathi, country director for India, Sri Lanka and Maldives at online travel agency Agoda. “And it is great to see interest from international travellers.”
The competition involves 48 matches in 10 stadiums – in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune – and Agoda data shows that the sporting spectacle has led to a 237 per cent increase in searches for accommodation in those cities around match dates.
One city, however, has grabbed the spotlight more than any other: Gujarat’s commercial capital, Ahmedabad, which has been unofficially anointed the cricket capital of India, with a venue renamed for the current prime minister.
