As the world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, India, appeared nearly empty on the first day of the highly anticipated International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, former cricketer Virender Sehwag proposed a solution to attract fans: "offering free tickets."
The defending champions faced New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday, but the sight of empty stands and few spectators surprised everyone. Social media users criticized India for failing to draw a crowd for the tournament opener. Sehwag suggested the "free tickets" idea, citing a lack of interest in the 50-overs game.
The former Indian opener advised the organizers of World Cup 2023 to provide free tickets to school and college students for matches not involving India. Taking to Twitter, Sehwag explained that improved access for young fans could reignite their interest in the sport, especially since the popularity of one-day internationals is currently declining.
"Hopefully, after office hours, more people will attend. But for matches not featuring India, free tickets should be given to school and college children. With waning interest in the 50-over format, this will help youngsters experience a World Cup game, and players can perform in front of a full stadium," Sehwag wrote on the microblogging site.
The match, held at the world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, is a rematch of the epic 2019 final when England won a tied game on boundary countback.