Bengaluru, India – In March, earlier than an India vs Australia Test match at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, named in honour of India’s present prime minister, a stage was arrange for a pre-match ceremony marking 75 years of India-Australia cricket.

Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese first took a lap of the stadium, waving to spectators in a golf cart modified to appear like a golden chariot. They then made their option to the stage to hearken to speeches and watch a efficiency earlier than the Test may begin. As a part of the ceremonies, Modi was introduced with an image of himself within the Modi stadium.

It was a glimpse of the politics that the India-hosted 2023 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup will doubtless serve up.

Home benefit, a vastly gifted squad and the Indian cricket board’s sheer monetary clout have made the hosts favourites to win the 46-day match, which begins on Thursday.

A victory would set off wild celebrations amongst followers, particularly since – regardless of India’s cricket ruling physique having the deepest pockets within the recreation and the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), cricket’s most profitable and widespread T20 franchise league – it has been 12 years since India final gained a World Cup.

From the naming of stadiums to the choice of venues, and the demonisation of Pakistan and Muslims extra broadly, some observers say that Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is utilizing the match as a launch pad for a 3rd time period in workplace.

Some even speculate that, if India win, Modi could even name for elections six or so months earlier than the BJP’s time period ends in June 2024.

Historian, novelist and cricket fan Mukul Kesavan says this World Cup is “more politicised” than ever.

“It is hosted by a country whose government turns every event into a celebration of itself with an eye on imminent elections,” Kesavan advised Al Jazeera.

“From its point of view, the World Cup is a cricketing G20,” he added, referring to the September gathering of the world’s political leaders in New Delhi, which was promoted as a triumph of Modi’s supposed rising world statesmanship.

Writing in The Hindu newspaper final week, columnist and writer Suresh Menon stated the World Cup would serve “as an extended election campaign”.

Referring to star gamers, he even predicted that it “is likely to be remembered not as Kohli’s or Stokes’ or Bumrah’s World Cup so much as the BJP’s World Cup”.

In cricket-mad India, the game has all the time been linked with politics.

In the age earlier than social media, the primary connection between politicians and Indian cricket was a gathering of each victorious workforce by the prime minister and/or the president of the day at their official residences. Bad performances led to questions in parliament.

If any political dignitary got here to a recreation, they might meet the gamers both firstly of the sport or throughout a break, with fast handshakes down the road earlier than heading to the viewing gallery. Meanwhile, main politicians from numerous events have headed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

But the BJP has taken the nexus to a brand new degree; most importantly by its widespread management of the BCCI.

The BJP’s direct line into the BCCI and the organising of the World Cup is thru its secretary Jay Shah, 35, son of Amit Shah – India’s highly effective residence minister and Modi’s right-hand man – in addition to different officers throughout all ranges, notably the BCCI’s member state cricket associations.

Former India cricketer and World Cup winner Kirti Azad, who was additionally a BJP member of parliament earlier than leaving the celebration to affix the opposition Trinamool Congress, says, “There is nothing wrong with having a politician [in cricket administration], but the problem is when they start using the game as a tool for their own means.”

While the ICC is the official organiser of the World Cup, and the BCCI made no formal announcement of a match director, Shah has been the foremost voice, face and spokesperson of the occasion.

Every BCCI choice across the World Cup – the schedule, the selection of venues, opacity round tickets for public sale – is being seen, pretty or unfairly, by the lens of politics. The BCCI didn’t reply to Al Jazeera’s request for remark.

The BCCI’s choice to not maintain matches within the metropolis of Mohali, which staged memorable World Cup matches in 1996 and 2011, is seen by some as a snub towards the state of Punjab, which voted in one of many BJP’s political rivals to energy within the state elections final yr.

Meanwhile, probably the most bodily expression of the amalgamation of Indian cricket and up to date politics has come by the development of the world’s largest cricket stadium within the western Indian metropolis of Ahmedabad, the capital of PM Modi’s residence state of Gujarat.

Its development started in 2015, a yr after Modi turned prime minister. The stadium can seat as many as 132,000 spectators, and its first occasion was a political rally for Donald Trump in 2020. In 2021, it was named the Narendra Modi Stadium.

The majority of Indian sports activities venues are named after politicians, notably leaders of the BJP’s rivals the Indian National Congress, but it surely was the primary time {that a} politician honoured was nonetheless in workplace.

At the 2023 World Cup, the Modi stadium will host its opening match and the ultimate in addition to three different fixtures together with, on October 14, the most important fixture in cricket: India vs Pakistan.

Author and senior cricket author Pradeep Magazine means that, in addition to business and capability issues, the choice to stage the match within the metropolis – made by the BCCI in addition to native and nationwide authorities and safety – has a political dimension by getting Pakistan to play in “the capital of the state which is the BJP’s Hindutva laboratory. In which they have successfully used the politics of Hindu-Muslim riots to come to power”.

Modi served because the Gujarat chief minister from 2001 to 2014, and has denied allegations by rights teams that he tacitly supported the 2002 riots within the state during which dozens of Muslims have been killed.

Under Modi, Indian Muslims have been more and more demonised and discriminated against.

“There has never been an Indian government like this BJP government – which is not just anti-Pakistan, but anti-Muslim,” Magazine stated.

The Indian authorities additionally delayed issuing visas for the Pakistan workforce, requiring them to scrap plans for a two-day coaching camp in Dubai. Then their first warm-up recreation in Hyderabad on September 29 was held behind closed doorways.

According to the Indian Express, the Hyderabad police have been unable to offer safety as a result of staging of two festivals which “culminate on September 28”. The two festivals, one Hindu and one Muslim, have been, in truth, held the day earlier than the match.

Meanwhile, below Modi’s rule, India’s mainstream media has more and more turned cricket and the enormously gifted and watchable Indian workforce into an emblem of a heightened Hindu nationalism and jingoism of the BJP’s “new India”.

Television protection and promoting round each multinational cricket occasion focuses on India’s domination of their rivals and the ridiculing of the opposition, notably Pakistan over its World Cup defeats to India. Shortly after Pakistan landed in Hyderabad, TV information media made a lot of their lack of ability to seek out beef on their lodge menus – cow worship being one of many BJP’s chief political planks.

However, these efforts have been belied considerably by the warm welcome the Pakistan workforce acquired on their first arrival on Indian soil for seven years late final month.

Meanwhile, outdoors of social media, there was little or no criticism within the mainstream media of the BCCI’s dealing with of the World Cup – both of the confusion over scheduling, logistical points for travelling followers, and the difficulties in shopping for tickets.

Kesavan calls Indian cricket a “paradox,” with the World Cup run-up proof of how “a massively successful commercial operation that can’t transparently sell tickets to cricket’s greatest event”.

But any criticism of the BCCI and India’s World Cup is now seen as a criticism of Jay Shah, and by extension, the house minister and the ruling authorities, and so is seen as greatest averted.

Modi himself isn’t concerned in any ads or advertising for the Cricket World Cup, however his social media feed continuously options cricket, and he’s anticipated to be on the India-Pakistan recreation. BJP celebration insiders say that ought to India carry out strongly, invites will exit to heads of state from different nations to be part of key matches.

Jayaditya Gupta, marketing consultant editor at ESPN India, performed down the politicisation of the 2023 World Cup by saying it’s not so completely different to that at different world sporting occasions he has reported on, corresponding to soccer World Cups.

“Large sports events have long been used to make statements,” he stated. “I think it is unexceptional for politicians to associate themselves with social or cultural success, and [try and] distance themselves when things hit the fan.”

Yet, with such political stakes loaded onto a match, there’s all the time the opportunity of pitfalls; notably if the Indian workforce stumbles – both towards Pakistan or on the ultimate hurdle.

“I just wonder if Pakistan win that game in Ahmedabad, what would happen?” Magazine requested. “How would [the BJP] react and how would their own people react? So are they taking a risk by hosting it there?”