Some members of the Team India squad are all set to depart for the United Kingdom on Tuesday, May 23, to commence preparation for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final, scheduled to take place in June at the Oval in London.
Among those players whose teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) did not qualify for the playoffs, such as Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, and Mohammed Siraj, will be included in the first batch departing. The initial group, consisting primarily of support staff members led by head coach Rahul Dravid, will depart in the early hours of Tuesday, comprising approximately 20 individuals.
Notably, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, whose teams Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), respectively, were also eliminated from the 16th season of the cash-rich league, are likely to depart later, possibly on May 24, according to a report in Cricbuzz.
Similarly, fast bowler Umesh Yadav, whose team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is out of the IPL 2023, too, may join the Team India squad in England later. Net bowlers – Akash Deep (a medium pacer from Bengal) and Pulkit Narang (an off-spinner from Delhi) – are expected to be part of the first batch. Likewise, Aniket Choudhary (a left-arm pacer from Rajasthan) and Prithvi Raj Yarra (a left-arm pacer from Andhra) may join the team at a later stage.
It is also reported that out of the three standbys, Mukesh Kumar will be part of the first batch and the other two – Ruturaj Gaikwad and Suryakumar Yadav – will travel after their IPL teams, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), finish their matches.
Although, the original plan was to dispatch the initial batch right after the conclusion of the IPL league stage on Sunday. However, certain players made requests to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to leave at a later date.
“There may be departures everyday till May 30. Logistics arrangements are being made for almost every day,” said a BCCI official.
