The T20 World Cup-winning Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team and its support staff members will be felicitated in a private ceremony by Prime Narendra Modi on Thursday (July 4) morning. After being stuck in the Caribbean islands for three days following their victory against South Africa in the final on Saturday (June 29), the Indian cricketers and their families, the coaching staff, BCCI officials and the country’s covering sports journalists will return home via a special flight arranged by the board.
The Indian contingent was stuck in Barbados after Hurricane Beryl caused a two-day shutdown. The airport became functional around Tuesday night (IST), but the Indian team had to wait until the Air India special charter flight named AIC24WC — Air India Champions 24 World Cup — arrived.
The flight, which took off from New Jersey, USA, on July 2, landed at the Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados around 2 a.m. local time. The flight took off around 4:50am local time and will land in the Indian national capital on Thursday at around 6:20 am (IST).
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.
After landing, the players will head to meet PM Modi at around 9:30 am. The felicitation ceremony is likely to last for a couple of hours. The players will then leave for Mumbai via another chartered flight.
According to India Today, the Indian team then would drive from the Mumbai airport to the Wannkhede Stadium, and the last 1km of the journey would be done in an open bus. The open bus parade was done even when the MS Dhoni-led Indian side won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
The report further adds that there will be a presentation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium, where captain Rohit Sharma will be hand over the World Cup trophy to BCCI secretary Jay Shah. The trophy will remain in the BCCI headquarters for the next two years. Towards Thursday evening, the players will leave for their respective hometowns.
However, a journalist of Dainik Jagran, said the open bus parade in Mumbai might take place on Friday instead of Thursday as the long flight journey from Barbados to Delhi and the ceremony with PM Modi, may leave the players tired.