The India Cricket Team headed by Rohit Sharma has been stranded at Barbados. The reason? A category 4 hurricane had stuck the island, thereby delaying the fights of all the players and the support staff. As per latest reports, the team has been struck and stranded, as the airport has been closed.
The BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has claimed that the first objective will be the safe return of Rohit Sharma and Co. Shah further said that the option for a charter flight was cancelled as the airport is shut down.
“Like you people, we are also stuck here. First we need to see how to get the players and everyone out of here safely and then we will think about the felicitation upon arrival in India,” said BCCI secretary Jay Shah, told PTI.
The main agenda for for the BCCI was to arrange for a charter flight so that the team and the officials can depart from Barbados. But that option was no longer viable as the airport was shut down after a category 4 hurricane struck the island.
“There was a charter flight we were trying for Monday but the airport is shut so that option is gone. We are in touch with multiple charter operators but it all depends on the airport operations. As per the current state of affairs, no plane can land or take off,” Shah added.
How will Team India return?
As per the latest reports, the plan by the BCCI is to fly the team directly to India. But since it will be a long journey, as a result, the flight will undergo a refueling stop either in Europe or USA. But as thing stand, the team is patiently waiting for situations to improve.
“The plan is to fly directly to India with a refuelling stop in US or Europe. We are in touch with airport officials. The airport is expected to remain shut till Tuesday afternoon. If the weather improves significantly, then it might open earlier. The wind speeds have to come down for the flight operations to start. You can’t really fight with nature. We need to wait and see,” a source told PTI.
