BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has confirmed that the date for the highly anticipated India versus Pakistan match at the Cricket World Cup will be changed, but the venue will remain in Ahmedabad. The decision comes after concerns were raised that the original date, October 15, coincided with the first day of Navratri, a significant festival celebrated with great enthusiasm in Gujarat.

Due to the mass participation in garba nights during Navratri, security agencies advised the BCCI to revise the schedule. The Narendra Modi Stadium, with a capacity of nearly 1 lakh, was initially selected to host four marquee games, including the India-Pakistan clash, the tournament opener between New Zealand and England, England vs Australia, and the final. The event will take place in 10 cities, with the semifinals scheduled for Mumbai and Kolkata.

Shah stated that several ICC full members had raised objections to the original World Cup schedule, prompting the need for revisions. While not disclosing the names of the member boards, Shah clarified that the changes would only accommodate requests from member nations and are not related to security threats.

“We are just trying to change the date and time of matches while retaining the venues. Things will be sorted out in two or three days,” he added.

In addition to the scheduling changes, Shah announced that the BCCI will not appeal against Harmanpreet Kaur’s ban, imposed for her outburst during a recent series against Bangladesh. Kaur will be questioned by BCCI President Roger Binny and NCA head VVS Laxman regarding the incident during the third ODI against Bangladesh.

Shah also provided reassurance that ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is “100 percent fit” and could travel to Ireland. Moreover, it was revealed that England A will tour India while India A will visit South Africa A in the upcoming year.