BCCI secretary Jay Shah not surprised by low turnout at ICC World Cup opener

Jay Shah. Pic/AFP

The vastness of the Narendra Modi Stadium versus the spectator turnout for a World Cup opener featuring the finalists of the last World Cup was a mismatch that raised quite a few eyebrows.

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BCCI secretary Jay Shah was not surprised at all with such a poor turnout. "We released 96,000 tickets for sale. People would love to see the Indian players, they may not encourage themselves to see the England v New Zealand game," he said.

Shah has big plans for the October 14 India v Pakistan game, during which a function may be held during the innings break.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam will turn 29 the next day. Will the BCCI wish him in advance? "We have not planned anything like this. Let's see," replied Shah.