Indian Cricket Team Embarks on New Travel Protocol for Asia Cup

New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) The Indian cricket team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, is set to gather in Dubai on September 4 for the upcoming Asia Cup, starting on September 9. In a notable shift from standard protocol, players will independently make their way to Dubai from their respective locations, unlike past practices where the team would converge in Mumbai before their journey. The change intends to address logistical challenges and improve travel convenience for the players.

A senior BCCI official shared, on condition of anonymity, that all athletes will reach Dubai by the evening of September 4, with the first nets session planned for September 5 at the ICC Academy. “It makes sense for them to fly directly to Dubai from their cities instead of first coming to Mumbai,” he said, adding that Dubai is a relatively short flight compared to other international locations.

India is slated to begin their Asia Cup campaign against the UAE on September 10, followed by a much-anticipated clash with arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14 in Dubai. Their final group stage match will be against Oman on September 19, leading into the Super Four stage.

Some of the Asia Cup-bound players, like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, are currently participating in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals, representing North Zone against East Zone. Kuldeep Yadav is also engaged with Central Zone against North East Zone in the same competition. When asked if standby players Prasidh Krishna or Washington Sundar would accompany the squad as net bowlers, the official negated the idea.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)