The Indian squad is scheduled to leave Barbados on Tuesday night after being left behind in Bridgetown since their victory on June 29 in the World Cup. They are scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister in New Delhi, where they will travel directly, as Cricbuzz has reported.
Due to travel cancellations brought on by Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall in this region on Monday with high intensity, squad members, support staff, and their families have been stranded on the island for the last two days. For two days, the entire island was closed as a precaution, which left the players stuck in their hotel.
Due to the airport closure, the BCCI managers have encountered difficulties in their efforts to schedule a private jet or charter trip to return the players home. Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) is still closed as at the time this story was filed, which was Tuesday morning local time. Nonetheless, it is likely to reopen later today and resume air travel.
According to local media, the airport was untouched “during the passage of Hurricane Beryl.” The first report indicates that losses were minimal, even though teams at the Grantley Adams International Airport were evaluating the facility’s damage in the wake of Hurricane Beryl just after Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams gave the all-clear on Monday afternoon.
“We just need to make sure that when we do our assessment, everything is clean and safe so that we can welcome our passengers because, as you can appreciate, after the all-clear is given by the officials, which it has, then our team needs to come in and do their assessment so that everyone else can have their operations run as smoothly as possible,” a representative from the airport told Barbados Today.
Still hasn’t accepted the TN role, Balaji
Lakshmipathy Balaji has been named the state team’s coach for the forthcoming domestic season, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has confirmed to Cricbuzz. Still out in the air is whether or not he will take the post. He currently has a deal with the TNCA.
Although Balaji will not comment on his future plans, there are rumours that the former Indian bowler has accepted an offer from somewhere else.
Under Sulakshan Kulkarni, who left following the team’s Ranji Trophy semifinal elimination, Balaji assisted in coaching Tamil Nadu’s previous campaign. Balaji was recently in the US covering the World Cup for television.
Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, informed reporters in Barbados that the new head coach of the Indian squad as well as the rest of the support staff will assume responsibility for the series against Sri Lanka that is slated for later this month. The NCA staff, led by VVS Laxman, is in charge of overseeing India’s visit of Zimbabwe.
Also Read: Georgia Voll joins Sydney Thunder to upgrade the first order
SA athletes depart from Barbados
Before Hurricane Beryl approached Barbados, the players from South Africa, who lost to India in the championship match, were able to evacuate the island. Actually, following the final, only three players—Keshav Maharaj, Ottneil Baartman, and Lungi Ngidi—were expected to return home; the other players departed Barbados to participate in the Major League Cricket (MLC) or Lanka Premier League (LPL).
India
