[UD17]

What a great start by NZ. I expected a challenging game from England but i guess their bowling was not that sharp yesterday.

Low attendance could be due to:

- Working day
- The teams like NZ, SA etc. can not pull crowd unless there is local team involve or its a big match like Semis. Personally i would not choose to view their matches on weekdays (or even in weekends). Watching few overs on TV is sufficient.
- Big stadium + No India

[Toni]

My semi final line up:

1. New Zealand
2. Pakistan
3. India
4. England

Finalists:

India and Pakistan

Winner:

INDIA

[silverado]

I started watching cricket since 1992 world cup, that was the cup which got me hooked to cricket. I am not sure why my interest is lacking these days, but the only cricket i like watching is Test match cricket.

We live in an era of overdose and for me this overdose is killing my interest in cricket.

While i look forward to India's matches in this cup, but i wont be desparate to watch it live , forget about enduring the poor facilities in stadiums.

[UD17]

Not for WC but Asia Cup cricket, After women's team won the Gold now The men's team is raised to the final. India will face Afghanistan (who defeated Pakistan today) for the Gold.

From the current form, it looks like our team will clinch the Gold.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by Eddy

I hope Shubman Gill misses only match. Else it is a big blow to India.

Hopefully he'll be fit in time for the Pakistan clash! This is a huge blow for Team India considering the kind of form he's been in. Ishan Kishan will open now, hope he goes out there all guns blazing knowing the fact that he'll only get very limited opportunities this WC.

[Revvatron]

Originally Posted by geekyengineer

Has any one on the forum managed to book tickets via the official online platform bookmyshow?

Bookmyshow is showing sold out for non-Indian matches too. Based on one of the above response they are releasing stand by stand but still not able to see any apart from 25k tickets. And I searched for Banglore and Hyderabad venues for non-Indian matches.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by Eddy

I hope Shubman Gill misses only match. Else it is a big blow to India.

As per people who I chatted who have suffered from dengue the recovery does takes a little time. But Shubman being a pro athlete might recover quickly and play next game. Such a shame. He is in form of his life, his first world cup and misses the first game. Ishan would be likely replacement I think.

[Guru_GPS]

The statement from BCCI regarding not scheduling the opening Ceremony is that the matches are Day-night events and the opening ceremony could mess with the timings and the ground would take some more time to get cleaned prior the match.

The humidity, week-day was also a factor for low turnout. Hoping good numbers for the upcoming matches.

[AtheK]

Also this being ICC event isn't the opening ceremony ICC decision which obviously BCCI will facilitate.

[n33rav]

Originally Posted by am1m

Very surprising! Granted India is not playing and it's a working day, but still, these are 2 top teams! I guess people will come in post-work?

But does this mean stadiums aren't being sold out for non-India matches? Anyone has any idea if tickets are still available for non-India matches?

Booking system is the main culprit here. I with my family wanted to go to watch this match but couldn't find tickets.

News were 40k tickets were distributed amongst corporators for bringing only Women but hardly few turned up.

[vimalvittaladas]

My probable semi finalists are
India
Australia
New Zealand
England

Winners will be hard to guess in today's cricket where class gave way to muscle strength. My brain says New Zealand but heart stays with India and I allways follow my heart over brain.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by Eddy

I hope Shubman Gill misses only match. Else it is a big blow to India.

Looks like Gill is down with dengue fever. Without knowing any clinical details or lab reports, it will be difficult to predict the recovery time. He may take anywhere between 3-7 days to regain full match fitness.

[thehighwayman]

The buzz is completely missing this time around. Not just this WC but last year's T20 WC was also played in half empty stadiums (even for home games).

I believe ICC and to a certain extent BCCI need to shoulder the blame for this. The moronic scheduling of T20 World Cups , sometimes back to back ,has lessened the relevance and exclusivity of the World Cup. There have been so many in last decade, people would be hard pressed to name all of the past winners.

[Joeboy]

India is the best balanced and strong side in this WC and have the added advantage of playing in front of home crowds and in familiar conditions. I won't be surprised if India tops the group without losing a match. The real test starts for India in the semifinals and finals and if they can handle the pressure well they can win easily. Also it is not surprising to see mostly empty stands for non India matches as the crowds nowadays are tuned to watching short T20 matches.

[ValarMorghulis]

Originally Posted by Joeboy

India is the best balanced and strong side in this WC and have the added advantage of playing in front of home crowds and in familiar conditions. I won't be surprised if India tops the group without losing a match. The real test starts for India in the semifinals and finals and if they can handle the pressure well they can win easily. Also it is not surprising to see mostly empty stands for non India matches as the crowds nowadays are tuned to watching short T20 matches.

As much as I love our team and want them to win this WC, it is a tall order.
In 2011 we have so many allrounders, that we played 7 batsmen EVERY game.
Yuvi was exceptional with the bat AND bowl. Sehwag could bowl as well.

This time we lack such all-rounders. If India win, nothing like it

But it'll take some labour, luck and sweat by the national team.