First set of players, support staff depart for Dubai ahead of Champions Trophy

Mumbai:  The first set 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 Champions Trophy.India will kick off 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, Washington Sundar, wicketkeeper-batters Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and 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 travelling contingent. Skipper Rohit Sharma also joined the team, Hardik Pandya was the last to join the squad 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 geared up for their journey.With their 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 massive changes in its 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy, which is set to begin next week on Wednesday.

The first one was widely speculated by many, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out of the tournament with a lower back injury and Harshit Rana coming in as his replacement.

The second was a surprise to many: young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was getting dropped for Chakravarthy. The decision left fans and former cricketers with split views, with some questioning the need while others asking to bolster the pace department.

His inclusion came after his ODI debut against England in the second ODI, a match where he maintained his clinical nature and returned with figures of 1/54 in 10 overs.