The Indian team reached Trinidad on Tuesday, July 19 afternoon ahead of their limited-overs tour against the West Indies. They will be playing three ODI matches, followed by a five-match T20I series against the hosts. As per a report in the TOI, Team India’s flight to the West Indies from Manchester in England cost the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a whopping 3.5 crore.
After registering a brilliant series victory in the T20I and the ODIs against England, a 16-member Indian squad landed in the Port of Spain via a chartered flight. A BCCI official stated that as the Indian contingent included players’ wives and support staff, a chartered plane had to be booked.
“The BCCI spent Rs 3.5 crore on the chartered flight which took Team India from Manchester on Tuesday afternoon to Port of Spain 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 on 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 traveled to the Caribbean too,” said the official to the TOI.
Trinidad – WE ARE HERE! 👋😃#TeamIndia | #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/f855iUr9Lq
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 20, 2022
The BCCI official further explained that a commercial flight would have cost the BCCI around 2 crores. A chartered flight is comparatively expensive, but is a logical option, the official added.
“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,” said the official.
Senior players rested for the West Indies tour
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and other first-choice players have been rested for the ODI series against West Indies. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya will return for the T20I series. However, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah will continue to be on a break. The three-match ODI series between India and West Indies is all set to begin on July 22 in Trinidad. The five T20I matches will take place across different venues starting on July 29.
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