T20 World Cup Champions: Rohit Sharma and team to reach India on July 4 after Hurricane Beryl-induced delay

T20 World Cup Champions: The Indian cricket team, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and other players, are likely to reach India on July 4 after the delay caused by Hurricane Beryl on the Caribbean islands. According to media reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has organised a chartered flight that will return to Delhi around 4 am on July 4.

The Rohit Sharma-led squad, support staff, some BCCI officials, and the players' families have been stranded in the island nation due to Hurricane Beryl. The Indian team won the T20 World Cup on Saturday in Barbados after defeating South Africa by seven runs in the final.

Hurricane Beryl, a dangerous and exceptionally strong storm, hit the Caribbean island of Carriacou on Monday, marking the earliest occurrence of such a powerful storm in the Atlantic. Fuelled by record warm waters, it posed significant risks to the region. The Hurricane roared through open waters on Tuesday as a powerful Category 4 storm headed toward Jamaica after earlier crossing islands in the southeast Caribbean, killing at least six people.

Earlier on July 2, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley had told PTI, “We hope, and we're working towards later today. I don't want to speak in advance of it, but I've literally been in touch with the airport personnel, and they're doing their last checks now, and we want to resume normal operations as a matter of urgency.” 

Mia Mottley has been overseeing relief operations on the ground. She added, "There are a number of people who were due to leave yet last night late or today or tomorrow morning. And we want to make sure that we can facilitate those persons, so I would anticipate that within the next six to 12 hours, the airport will be open." 

Meanwhile, fans in India had a bittersweet moment after the Men in Blue became world champions after 13 years. First, it was Virat Kohli who announced his retirement from T20I cricket. Then, it was captain Rohit Sharma. After that, even Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20I cricket. There have been speculations if the senior members of the team will now focus solely on red-ball cricket.

However, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah assured that “seniors will be there” in the Champions Trophy 2025 and the World Test Championship final if India qualifies.