The first group of Indian players and support staff arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Saturday to depart for Dubai, where they will compete in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.  

India will begin their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.  

Several key players were spotted at the airport, including star batter Virat Kohli, all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, as well as wicketkeeper-batters Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, all-rounder Axar Patel, and pacers Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh were also part of the traveling contingent. Skipper Rohit Sharma joined the squad, while Hardik Pandya was the last to arrive before departure.  

Head coach Gautam Gambhir was seen alongside his support staff, including fielding coach T. Dilip, bowling coach Morne Morkel, and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, as the team prepared for their journey.  

With preparations in full swing, India will look to make a strong start in the tournament as they aim for glory in the prestigious ICC event.  

On Tuesday night, India announced two major changes to its 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy, which is set to begin next Wednesday.  

The first, widely speculated, was the exclusion of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah due to a lower back injury, with Harshit Rana named as his replacement.  

The second change came as a surprise—young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was dropped in favor of Chakravarthy. The decision sparked mixed reactions among fans and former cricketers, with some questioning the selection while others called for strengthening the pace attack.  

Chakravarthy’s inclusion followed his ODI debut against England in the second ODI, where he showcased his skills and finished with figures of 1/54 in 10 overs.  

(ANI)