Sunil Gavaskar's important suggestion to Indian Cricket Board regarding the recipients of the 'Golden Ticket' for ODI World Cup 2023

Sunil Gavaskar (Source: Twitter)

The Cricket World Cup 2023, spanning across 10 venues in India, is scheduled from October 5 to November 19.  This is the reason they have launched a significant initiative – the 'Golden Ticket' – for some distinguished individuals. Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar received special guest passes.

Sunil Gavaskar, a legend, lauded the initiative, and he was part of India's 1983 World Cup win. Gavaskar also viewed it as a wonderful way to honour trailblazers in various fields.

The legendary India batter also said that the 'Golden Ticket' should also be extended to ISRO Chief S. Somnath, who oversaw India's moon landing. The former India captain also expressed hope that ICB would acknowledge two World Cup-winning captains, Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni. Gavaskar also said that it is also essential to recognize other prominent athletes who have brought pride to the nation.

Overall, the 'Golden Ticket' initiative aims to celebrate not only cricketing legends but also individuals who have made significant contributions in diverse domains. This initiative also helps in enriching India's heritage and achievements which the country has attained over the years.

"It is not known how many others are on the list, but hopefully, the chief of ISRO, under whom India landed on the moon, will be one. Obviously, it can't be given to everybody who has played for India, but if the associations where the matches are being played are instructed to invite the Indian players from their city to the games in that city, it would be a magnificent gesture," Gavaskar mentioned in his column for Sportstar.

"Of course, two others who deserve the golden ticket are the two World Cup-winning captains, Kapil Dev and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Neeraj Chopra, the Olympic and World Athletics Championship gold medalist, is another one who comes to mind for the BCCI golden ticket."

India will play Pakistan on October 14

The Indian team will be kick-starting their campaign for the World Cup 2023 against the five-time World Champions, Australia. The mouth-watering contest will take place on October 8 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Indian cricket team will confront their arch-rivals, Pakistan, on October 14 at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

As this will be a round-robin-based tournament, every team will be playing nine games each in the group stage.