The biggest cricket event ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has started. New Zealand humiliated defending champions England by beating them by nine wickets in the World Cup 2023 opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. New Zealand chased down the 283-run target in just 36.2 overs thanks to an unbeaten 273-run partnership between Devon Conway (152* off 121) and World Cup debutant Rachin Ravindra (123* off 96).

Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand was named Man of the Match. He came to bat at three and scored 123 unbeaten runs off 96 balls. His innings consisted of 11 fours and 5 sixes. He also dismissed England’s Harry Brook. Both England and New Zealand are considered strong contenders for the title this year. The Kiwi team got their revenge for the defeat in the final of the World Cup 2019.

The stadium gallery was not filled in an important match like the opening match. This is a matter of concern. The stadium is far from full, not even half of the seats are filled. Real cricket lovers are worried about this. Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag is not happy with such a situation at a stage like the World Cup on Indian soil. There are 1 lakh 32 thousand seats available, it is believed that even 50% of it is not filled. Because there is very little excitement among people about matches like England vs. New Zealand on Indian soil. If the match was between the home team India and Pakistan, the situation could have been different.

Virender Sehwag posted on the X (Twitter) app and addressed the BCCI saying, “Hopefully after office hours, there should be more people coming in. But for games not featuring Bharat, there should be free tickets for school and college children. With the fading interest in 50 over the game, it will help that youngsters get to experience a World Cup game and players get to play in front of a full stadium.”