London: Their World Cup dream ending in bitter disappointment and the next assignment more than two weeks away, Indian cricket players will head towards different destinations from here after being together on the road for seven weeks.
The 18-run semifinal defeat at the hands of New Zealand brought the curtains down on the pursuit of a third world title and India will now be gearing up for a Test and limited-overs tour of West Indies starting August 3. “The logistics manager takes over from hereon. The players will start leaving in batches and groups to their preferred destination as per availability of tickets,” a BCCI source told PTI.
While a few players are set to return to India, some others are expected to stay back or leave for different destinations for a two-week break after being on the road for past seven weeks. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose future is the subject of swirling speculation after what is being considered his last assignment in national colours, is expected to return to his hometown Ranchi after a few days. Skipper Virat Kohli, at the end of the match on Wednesday, asserted that Dhoni has not told him anything about his future plans but it is learnt that an announcement on it might come once the 38-year-old returns home.
The team has been together since reporting in Mumbai on May 20 before leaving for the United Kingdom the next day. The series against the West Indies comprises three T20 Internationals (August 3 to 8), two of which will be played in Florida, USA. This will be followed by an ODI series from August 8 to 14 and the assignment will end with a two-match Test series from August 22 to September 3. The Tests are set to be West Indian swashbuckler Chris Gayle’s last outing in national colours. India physiotherapist Patrick Farhat’s tenure ended after the side crashed out of the World Cup with a semifinal loss to New Zealand and he bid adieu by thanking the BCCI for it support.
On the other hand, BCCI acting President CK Khanna and COA member Diana Edulji on Thursday lauded India’s performance in the World Cup following the team’s heartbreaking loss against New Zealand in the semifinals.
“The team played well. It was just unfortunate that the game went into the second day. Three early wickets put the team on the backfoot completely. Then it was a great recovery from Jadeja and Dhoni. It was a case of so close but yet so far. Hats off to Jadeja and Dhoni for the way they played,” said Edulji. (PTI)
