Following a weather delay due to a powerful hurricane Beryl, the jubilant Indian cricket team, fresh off their T20 World Cup victory, finally departed Barbados on Wednesday for their homecoming. (More Cricket News)
They boarded a chartered flight from Grantley Adams International Airport, eager to return to Delhi and celebrate their championship win with their home crowd.
Carrying the champions title of T20 World Cup, the Indian cricket team departed Barbados on a special Air India charter flight early Wednesday morning (local time). The flight, designated AIC24WC ("Air India Champions 24 World Cup"), will touch down in Delhi on Thursday at approximately 6:20 am IST, marking the official return of the champions.
"Coming home," posted India captain Rohit Sharma on Instagram, posing with the trophy in the aircraft before it took off.
The Air India charter flight carrying the victorious Indian cricket team isn't just transporting players. The entire T20 World Cup experience takes flight alongside them.
The plane is filled with the team's support staff, the families cheering them on, and media personnel who documented their journey. This special flight, arranged by the BCCI, brings everyone who contributed to the win back to India for a shared celebration.
The Rohit Sharma-led side won the title after pulling off a thrilling seven-run win over South Africa in the final on Saturday.
The Boeing 777, which departed from New Jersey, USA, on July 2, landed in Barbados around 2 am local time. Airport staff stated that they had not seen a larger plane land at Grantley Adams International Airport, which resumed operations on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Indian team was scheduled to leave around 6pm local time on July 2 and arrive at 7.45pm (IST) on Wednesday but the departure was delayed as the plane landed late here.
The players are set to be felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi within hours of returning to the country. Plans are also afoot to have a road-show in Mumbai to honour the triumphant team, which ended a trophy drought of 11 years.
Hurricane Beryl is now headed towards Jamaica.
