Indian Cricket Team Likely to Return India on Wednesday as Barbados' Airport Expected to Resume Operations

The Indian cricket team will be returning home on a charter flight scheduled for Tuesday evening following an announcement by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley that the airport is expected to resume operations within the next six to 12 hours, marking the end of the shutdown caused by a category 4 hurricane.

The T20 World Cup champions, along with their support staff, a few BCCI representatives, and the families of the players, have been stuck in Barbados for the last couple of days due to the impact of Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall on the island on Sunday evening.

Prime Minister Mottley refrained from providing details prematurely, but confirmed that she has already been in communication with airport staff who are currently conducting final inspections. The priority is to swiftly return to regular operations.

Mottley also informed several individuals were scheduled to depart either late last night, today, or tomorrow morning. The priority is to ensure a smooth process for their travels, therefore, PM expects the airport to resume operations within the next six to 12 hours.

The Indian team is set to depart from Bridgetown at 6pm local time and is expected to arrive in Delhi on Wednesday at 7.45pm IST, as per a source. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will honor the players at a later date, although the exact timing of the event is still pending.

Five players - Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, and Sanju Samson - are slated to head to Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series. The remaining members of the squad for the series had already left India on Tuesday.

Barbados and neighboring islands were hit by life-threatening winds and storms on Monday. The country, which has a population of nearly 300,000, has been under lockdown since Sunday evening.

Mottley emphasized the importance of safety for both Barbadians and visitors in Barbados, particularly those who were there for the cricket World Cup. She expressed gratitude that the storm did not make landfall, but noted the significant damage to infrastructure and coastal assets.

Additionally, she mentioned the upcoming challenge of another hurricane approaching on Wednesday, highlighting the urgency for recovery and clean-up efforts.