Team India have reached Trinidad for the upcoming three-match ODI series versus Nicholas Pooran-led West Indies, which gets underway on July 22. India left for the West Indies tour soon after the conclusion of their all-format tour of England, which ended on July 17.
In regular captain Rohit Sharma’s absence, out due to rest, Shikhar Dhawan is in-charge of the side and the left-hander will once again get a chance to lead the Men in Blue after the 2021 Sri Lanka tour. Interestingly, it is believed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have spent a whopping sum for the Indian team’s flight to West Indies. As per a report in the Times of India, BCCI booked a chartered flight for the team’s travel from England to the Caribbean island.
“The BCCI spent Rs 3.5 crore on the chartered flight which took Team India from Manchester on Tuesday afternoon to Port of Spain (the capital of Trinidad and Tobago) by 11.30 pm IST. The reason a chartered flight was booked for the team was not Covid-19. It’s difficult to book so many tickets in a commercial flight-the Indian contingent includes 16 players and members of the support staff, including head coach Rahul Dravid. There are players’ wives who have travelled to the Caribbean too,” the source told TOI on Wednesday (July 20).
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“Normally, in a commercial flight, this expense would’ve been around Rs 2 crore. A business class ticket from Manchester to Port of Spain would be around Rs 2 lakh. A chartered flight is more expensive, but it’s a logical option to take. Most top football teams have a charter now,” the source further added.
India’s ODI team doesn’t comprise the likes of Rohit, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Jasrpit Bumrah as all have been rested whereas KL Rahul is on the road to recovery from his injury, which kept him out of the England trip.
India ODI squad for WI tour
Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
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