After their World Cup win in Barbados, India are facing some obstacles in returning home. The Barbados government has issued a warning about a hurricane of ‘very dangerous’ category, throwing the return itinerary into a state of uncertainty and prompting the BCCI to make immediate arrangements.
The Indian team will remain here in Bridgetown for one more day. As per the World Cup schedule, Sunday was designated as the reserve day for the final and the team was to fly out only on Monday. According to the initial itinerary, the team was supposed to fly to New York and then take Emirates flights to Mumbai but the BCCI managers are now forced to make alternative plans, with BCCI secretary Jay Shah himself overseeing the arrangements.
The BCCI is first trying to determine whether the Barbados airport will remain open and it is learnt that it may be closed from 8 pm on Sunday night. So the board is now considering hiring a charter from the US to fly directly to India.”Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, intensified into a ‘very dangerous’ Category 3 storm on Sunday morning as it churned toward Barbados and the Windward Islands, promising destructive hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center,” CNN reported.
With the unexpected development of the hurricane in the way, the itinerary is being tweaked. The entire entourage, including support staff, families, and officials, consists of about 70 members, requiring an aircraft large enough to accommodate everyone. Such aircrafts are apparently not available in the Caribbean, so efforts are underway to secure one from the United States.
As of Sunday, the plan is to fly all the team members and their families to New Delhi, where a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being considered. The Prime Minister personally called several team members, including captain Rohit Sharma, coach Rahul Dravid, and star batsman Virat Kohli, to congratulate them after Saturday’s victory.
On his part, Shah said, “This team truly embodies a rising, vibrant, and resilient India, asserting its rightful place in the world of cricket. I am delighted that, as the governing body of the sport in India, the BCCI has played a part in this team’s success through our relentless focus on identifying, grooming, and nurturing the right talent. Under the exceptional leadership of Rohit Sharma, this team has shown remarkable resolve and resilience, becoming the first team in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup to win the tournament unbeaten.
“They have faced and silenced their critics with stellar performances time and again. Their journey has been nothing short of inspirational. Led by Rohit Sharma, and ably assisted by Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and others they have fulfilled the dreams and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians.”
Earlier in the evening, Shah on behalf of BCCI announced a whopping prize money of INR 125 crore to the Indian team as an incentive for winning the World Cup.
