With just 24 hours remaining until the World Cup, India’s star batter Virat Kohli has made a humble request to his friends and acquaintances, asking them not to approach him for tickets during the tournament. Kohli emphasised the need for focus as India opens its World Cup campaign against Australia in Chennai on Sunday. He urged the public to enjoy the matches from the comfort of their homes, considering the team’s aspirations for victory.
Virat Kohli wrote in his Instagram story, accompanied by a laugh emoji:
“As we approach the World Cup, I would humbly like to let all my friends know to not request me for tickets all through the tournament. Enjoy from your homes please,” Kohli wrote in his Instagram story, accompanied by a laugh emoji.
Bollywood star Anushka Sharma shared her husband’s post on her Insta, adding: “And let me just add… please don’t request me to help if your messages go unanswered. Thank you for your understanding.”
Kohli joins a long list of cricketers dealing with ticket requests, including veterans like Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, and Ashish Nehra, who have openly discussed the challenges of managing requests from friends, especially during significant matches like the 2011 World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan.
To streamline the ticketing process and prevent fan frenzy, the ICC introduced a phased ticket release strategy, starting on August 25. Tickets for all non-India matches and warm-up games involving other teams like England, Australia, and Pakistan were made available, excluding India. This approach aimed to ease the ticket purchasing experience for fans.
Ticket sales for India matches followed a more complex schedule. Warm-up match tickets started selling on August 30, and main round tickets were available from August 31. The tickets for the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan match were made available for booking from September 3. This segmented approach aimed to manage the high demand for tickets for India’s matches.
Securing tickets for World Cup matches had been a daunting task for Indian fans, marked by long digital queues and frustrating rejections. The official ticketing platform, BookMyShow, faced severe performance issues, forcing the ICC to streamline the process. To address this, the BCCI announced the release of an extra 400,000 tickets in the second phase, starting sales on September 8.
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