“The way we reached Mumbai was a different experience" - Ravichandran Ashwin shares details of eventful journey from Chennai 

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed interesting details of how players from the southern part of the country reached Mumbai to begin their quarantine ahead of the England tour.

The Indian men and women players as well as support staff from Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad reached Mumbai from Chennai on a charter flight on May 19.

In a Vlog on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin gave an inside account of all that happened as the players headed to Mumbai. The off-spinner said:

“All the Indian players have now reached Mumbai. The way we reached Mumbai in itself was a different experience. With each passing day, the struggle is only getting worse.”

Elaborating further, Ravichandran Ashwin said that since all the players had returned home from the IPL, the BCCI decided to arrange charter flights for the players.

“People coming from South (Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad), we had a charter flight going from Chennai. So, all the other state players drove down to Chennai. That was more like a quarantine bubble for them since they drove down on their own.

“Before taking the charter, you have to get tested thrice. 14th, 16th and 18th - three days we go tested and left from Chennai on 19th. So, myself, Mayank (Agarwal), a few coaching staff, doctor, physio as well, we all left from Chennai. Mayank drove down here to Chennai (from Bangalore),” Ravichandran Ashwin further added.

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— Shubman Gill (@RealShubmanGill) May 19, 2021

Flight landed in Hyderabad, where Mithali Raj joined us: Ravichandran Ashwin

Since the women’s team will also be heading to England with the men’s squad, the BCCI decided to pick up the female players from the south via the same flight. As a result, the charter flight had a halt in Hyderabad.

“Indian Women are playing a Test match in England. So, since they also form a part of this tour, our flight landed in Hyderabad. Our fielding coach joined us here. Add to that, Mithali Raj and Arundhati Reddy also joined us. Kona Bharat, who has been selected as a back-up keeper for (Wriddhiman) Saha, also flew with us," said Ravichandran Ashwin.

The adventure for the Indian contingent was not over though. On landing in Mumbai, they were stranded on the runway for more than an hour as the bus, which was supposed to pick them up, was stuck on a road due to heavy rains. A replacement bus had to be sanitized, which took some time.

“The flight took off at 2 PM and and landed at 6 PM in Mumbai. But the flight was there in the runway for a while. Due to heavy rains on that day, the bus that was supposed to pick up the players got stuck on a road and so, the bus wasn’t ready. To arrange another bus, the driver should have been in the bubble and they should also sanitize the bus. Since these problems were also there, it took one-and-a-half hours and, after that, we got picked in another bus. We came in here and checked-in at the hotel," recounted Ravichandran Ashwin.

After completing a two-week quarantine, the Indian team will depart for the UK on June 2. In Southampton, where they will be featuring in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, they will have to undergo another 10-day quarantine.