NEW DELHI: The initial contingent of Indian cricketers and support personnel gathered at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Saturday, readying for their flight to Dubai ahead of the Champions Trophy.
The Indian team’s opening match is scheduled against Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Notable players observed at the airport included Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. The group also comprised Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, alongside pacers Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. Team captain Rohit Sharma arrived subsequently, with Hardik Pandya being the final player to join before take-off.
The coaching team, led by Gautam Gambhir, included fielding specialist T. Dilip, bowling expert Morne Morkel, and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, as they readied for departure.
The team’s focus remains on commencing the tournament strongly, with aspirations to secure the coveted ICC trophy.
On Tuesday evening, the Indian selectors announced two significant alterations to their 15-player squad for the Champions Trophy, commencing next Wednesday.
The first expected modification was the withdrawal of premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, suffering from a lower back injury, with Harshit Rana stepping in as his substitute.
The second unexpected change saw promising batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal replaced by Varun Chakravarthy. This decision elicited diverse opinions from supporters and cricket veterans, with some questioning the strategy whilst others viewed it as a tactical bowling reinforcement.
Chakravarthy’s selection follows his ODI introduction against England in the series’ second fixture, where he delivered a respectable performance of 1/54 in his allocated overs.