An India vs Pakistan semifinal at Eden Gardens would be a dream match: CAB Chief Snehasish Ganguly

The schedule for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is out and fans can’t wait for the cricketing extravaganza to kick off from October 5. The opening game of the World Cup and the final (November 19) will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The venue will also host the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan fixture on October 15.

Kolkata’s Eden Gardens will also be hosting five games (including one semi-final) in the upcoming edition after it failed to host major matches including India's clash against England during the World Cup 2011 due to incomplete construction work. The president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), Snehasish Ganguly, revealed that the preparations for the World Cup have begun after the end of the IPL 2023.

"Preparations have started. We started preparations after IPL for the World Cup. We are renovating the stadium, corporate boxes. Ground conditions are excellent. Preparations will start from July 1 for the ground. We had a meeting with our curator. Eden Gardens is ready to host the World Cup,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Talking about the pitch at the stadium, Snehasish Ganguly said that the crowd loved high-scoring games during the IPL and they will look to maintain it. He further said that the India vs Pakistan semi-final would be a dream match to host.

Everyone's first choice will be an India vs Pakistan semifinal at Eden Gardens: Ganguly

“In IPL, everyone enjoyed the match since they were high scoring and the wicket condition was good. We will try maintaining it. We tried that we get a semifinal match this time and at the last moment, we got a semifinal match at Eden. Everyone's first choice will be an India vs Pakistan semifinal at Eden Gardens, it would be a dream match," he added.

Notably, India will play their semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, if their semi-final fixture is against Pakistan then they will play it at the Eden Gardens on November 16. Apart from it, Kolkata will host Qualifier 1 vs Bangladesh on October 28, Pakistan vs Bangladesh on October 31, India vs South Africa on November 5, and England vs Pakistan on November 12.