The first batch of Indian cricketers, including captain Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, arrived at the Mumbai airport to begin their journey to the United States for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which begins on June 1 . Alongside them were other members of the team. , namely Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, support staff and head coach Rahul Dravid, as the team gears up for their quest for a second World Cup title T20.
Previous reports indicated that both Rohit And Virat Kohli are part of the first group of players to leave for the T20 World Cup; However, Kohli was not spotted with the group. The contingent is expected to fly from Mumbai to Dubai before boarding a connecting flight to New York.
The team's departure was a significant event, with videos capturing the moment circulating widely on social media.
The BCCI also released a photo of Indian players awaiting their departure.
Besides Kohli, another major absentee from the first batch was Hardik Pandya. It was initially thought that Hardik would be among the first group of players leaving for the United States, especially since his team, the Mumbai Indians, had been eliminated early from the IPL playoffs. However, in the first batch, only three other MI players – Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah – were seen getting off the team bus and posing for photos.
Hardik has seen a series of controversies over the past few months; After enduring a difficult IPL season with Mumbai Indians, where the team finished at the bottom of the league under his captaincy, there is speculation of turmoil in Hardik's personal life.
The versatile player has been widely rumored to have had a fallout in his relationship with his wife, Natasa Stankovic, although neither has officially addressed the speculation. Reports suggest that Hardik is currently in London for a brief training stint and is expected to join the national team straight from there.
Pandya's leadership and all-round abilities will be crucial as India aim to win the prestigious T20 World Cup trophy, ending an 11-year wait for an ICC title.
RR stars will leave separately
Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan and Yashasvi Jaiswal are expected to start with the second batch of Indian players. Their departure follows their 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, which ended after Rajasthan Royals (RR) were defeated by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 36 runs in the Qualifiers 2 held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium from Chennai.
Here is India's full squad for the T20 World Cup:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
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