Sports

Kohli, Sharma and team stranded in Barbados thanks to hurricane Beryl

The main international airport is shut until further notice, with water and electricity supply also disrupted

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma with the T20 World Cup trophy (photo: PTI)
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma with the T20 World Cup trophy (photo: PTI) Ricardo Mazalan

The victorious Indian cricket team remains stranded in Barbados after the category 4 hurricane Beryl hit the Caribbean island in the early hours of Monday, delaying the team's departure back home by at least another day.

Captain Rohit Sharma's side has stayed put in a five-star hotel since its triumph over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in the Barbadian capital of Bridgetown on Saturday.

As per the forecast, life-threatening winds and storm lashed Barbados and nearby islands on Monday. The country, with a population of close to three lakh, has been in virtual lockdown since Sunday evening.

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The main international airport is shut until further notice, with water and electricity supply also disrupted.

"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 (Board of Control for Cricket in India) secretary Jay Shah, who reached Bridgetown ahead of the big final.

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The squad, along with top BCCI officials including Shah, was supposed to leave for India via a chartered flight on Monday, but that was not possible owing to the closure of the airport. The BCCI is also trying to get the travelling Indian media out of the hurricane-hit region.

"There was a chartered flight we were trying for Monday, but the airport is shut so that option is gone. We are in touch with multiple chartered flight operators, but it all depends on the airport operations. As per the current state of affairs, no plane can land or take off.

"The plan is to fly directly to India with a refuelling stop in the US or Europe. We are in touch with airport officials. The airport is expected to remain shut until Tuesday afternoon. If the weather improves significantly, it might open earlier. Wind speeds have to come down for flight operations to start. You can't really fight with Nature. We need to wait and see," a source told PTI.

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