 "India captain Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Hardik Pandya arrive at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Saturday, 15 February. Image credit: Screengrab of video posted by ANI on X")
The Indian cricket team kickstarted its journey to Dubai, United Arab Emirates for the ICC Champions Trophy with the first batch of players and support staff arriving at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Saturday, five days before they face Bangladesh in their opening game.
Though the ninth edition of the ‘Mini World Cup’ is being hosted by defending champions Pakistan, India have had their games moved to Dubai after refusing to travel to their neighbouring country due to security concerns.
Several key players were spotted at the airport, including star batter Virat Kohli, all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, wicketkeeper-batters Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy.
Middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, all-rounder Axar Patel, and pacers Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh were also part of the travelling contingent. Skipper Rohit Sharma also joined the team, Hardik Pandya was the last to join the squad before departure.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen alongside his support staff, including fielding coach T. Dilip, bowling coach Morne Morkel, and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, as the team geared up for their journey.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsWith their preparations in full swing, India will look to make a strong start in the tournament as they aim for glory in the prestigious ICC event.
On Tuesday night, India announced two massive changes in its 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy, which is set to begin next week on Wednesday.
The first one was widely speculated by many, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out of the tournament with a lower back injury and Harshit Rana coming in as his replacement.
The second was a surprise to many: young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was getting dropped for Chakravarthy. The decision left fans and former cricketers with split views, with some questioning the need while others asking to bolster the pace department.
His inclusion came after his ODI debut against England in the second ODI, a match where he maintained his clinical nature and returned with figures of 1/54 in 10 overs.
With ANI inputs