World Cup 2023: Pakistan cricket team arrives in India for first time in 7 years

Pakistan cricket team led by Babar Azam have landed in India on Wednesday, 27 September. This is the first time in 7 years that the Pakistan team has visited India - the last time being in 2016 when they came to play the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan players along with the members of the support staff arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. There was buzz at the airport as Babar Azam was in the spotlight. The Pakistan captain responded to fans and the shutterbugs with a wave of his hand after arriving in India for the World Cup 2023 campaign. One of Pakistan cricket's biggest fan, Chaudhry Abdul Jalil, famously known as Chacha Cricket, also landed in Hyderabad to cheer for Babar's side.

Pakistan will stay in Hyderabad for the first two warm-up matches and their first two matches in the World Cup before heading to Ahmedabad for the marquee fixture against India, scheduled for October 14.

The majority of the Pakistan side has not played in India before and it will be a steep test of skill and mental toughness when they come out to play in the ODI World Cup.

Pakistan have arrived in India via Dubai and have touched down at Hyderabad where they play their



first 2 ODI World Cup matches against Netherlands and Sri Lanka. Pakistan's most high-profile clash will be played on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad where they will face India. Pakistan is the team that will do the least travel among the World Cup teams, with games scheduled in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Kolkata. This is in stark contrast to the Indian team who will travel to 9 destinations for their 9 group matches.

The Pakistan cricket team faced significant visa-related challenges ahead of the World Cup 2023 in India. The team's visa approval was delayed, causing disruptions to their preparation plans for the tournament. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had expressed concerns about this delay to the International Cricket Council (ICC), stating that it was affecting the team's readiness for the event. The visas were finally issued on September 25, just two days before the team's scheduled departure to Hyderabad for their first warm-up match against New Zealand.

Pakistan are coming into the World Cup as the 2nd ranked ODI team in the world. They however did not perform as per expectation in the Asia Cup 2023, getting knocked out in the Super 4 stage of the tournament.