The Indian cricket team, winners of the T20 World Cup, may take flight for home on Tuesday evening. Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said she hopes the airport here will reopen in the next six to twelve hours. This will end the lockdown in Barbados due to Hurricane Beryl. Rohit Sharma-led team, its support staff, some BCCI officials, and players’ families have been stuck in Barbados for the past two days due to the storm. The team defeated South Africa by seven runs in the final on Saturday. Since then, the team has been staying at their hotel there.
What did the PM of Barbados say about the Hurricane Beryl?
Mottley said, “We are hopeful that the weather will completely clear up in the next few hours, and we are working towards that today. I don’t want to say anything definitive beforehand, but I am in contact with airport personnel, and they are now conducting their final checks. We hope to resume normal operations based on necessity. Mottley is also overseeing relief efforts.”
Barbados is in Lockdown
Barbados PM Mottley said, “There are many people who were supposed to leave late last night or today or tomorrow morning. We want to ensure that we can accommodate these individuals. Therefore, I hope that the airport will reopen within the next six to twelve hours.” On Monday, Hurricane ‘Beryl’ wreaked havoc on Barbados and nearby islands. The country, with a population of nearly three lakh, has been under lockdown since Sunday evening.
“We are working to ensure that everyone in Barbados remains safe. Barbadians and all those who came specifically for the Cricket World Cup, we were very fortunate that the impact of the hurricane did not come towards us more. The hurricane was 80 miles south of us, which limited the level of damage on the coast. However, as you can see, our coastal infrastructure and properties have been badly affected. It could have been much worse, but now it’s time for recovery and cleanup,” Mottley added.
Also Read: IND vs SA, T20 World Cup 2024 Final: List of Records Broken & Created in India’s Epic Victory
Another storm might derail India’s departure plans
There will be very little time for Team India and others to leave Bridgetown, as Mottley revealed that another hurricane is expected in Barbados on Wednesday. She expressed hope that despite the Indian team staying in their hotel since winning the trophy due to lockdown, they would be quite excited and have ended an 11-year drought. Mottley said, “I am confident that despite the passage of the hurricane, they will be in good spirits and have the same enthusiasm as they did after winning on Saturday.” Mottley joked, “I think they might be flying in the air for a while.”
When will Team India arrive in New Delhi?
The Indian team and others will depart from Bridgetown at 6:00 PM local time on Tuesday, which means they will leave at around 3:30 AM Indian Standard Time on Wednesday and are expected to arrive here at 8:30 PM Indian Standard Time on Wednesday evening. Players will be honoured later by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the schedule for that event has not been finalized yet.
Will there be a roadshow for Team India?
When Team India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, a huge roadshow was organised with the players of the Indian team travelling in an open bus to celebrate the victory with the fans. It is not clear if there will be a similar kind of celebration for this T20 World Cup victory. Since the Indian team has been stuck in Barbados for a long time, it seems that the players will quickly fly to their respective states from New Delhi to meet their families. There is very little possibility of a roadshow like 2007.
