ODI World Cup 2023: India arrive in Chennai sans skipper Rohit Sharma as opening match vs Australia draws closer

Indian cricket team arrives in Chennai for their opener against Australia, while skipper Rohit Sharma attends the Captains' Day in Ahmedabad, meeting Pakistan's Babar Azam ahead of the ODI World Cup.

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India skipper Rohit Sharma.

India skipper Rohit Sharma.

Highlights:

After receiving a heartwarming welcome in Ahmedabad, Babar met with Rohit. Their meeting was marked by a friendly embrace and a brief chat.

The Indian cricket team has touched down in Chennai, gearing up for their inaugural match against Australia at Chepauk Stadium on Sunday, October 8. As the teams settled in the southern city, India's captain Rohit Sharma was notably absent. He's in Ahmedabad for a special captains' event prior to the tournament's first match.

Rohit is scheduled to spend Wednesday in Ahmedabad and will then reunite with the team in time for the opening game. During his stay, he had a rendezvous with other team captains, including Pakistan's Babar Azam. All the leaders of the nine participating teams will gather for the Captains' Day.

After receiving a heartwarming welcome in Ahmedabad, Babar met with Rohit. Their meeting was marked by a friendly embrace and a brief chat.

Before heading to Ahmedabad, Babar played in Pakistan's practice match against Australia, led by Pat Cummins, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. He showcased his form by scoring an impressive 90 off 59 deliveries before retiring.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma is eagerly anticipating the chance to captain India in an ODI World Cup. In a chat with the Indian Express, he reflected, “Obviously, you want to be at your peak for this, say when you are 26-27. But you cannot always get what you want. You are talking about the Indian captaincy and there have been stalwarts in the Indian team.”

“Many more players deserved to be the captain of the team. I had to wait for my turn and that’s absolutely fair enough. The guys before, Virat was before me, so was MS (Dhoni),” he added.

The grand ODI World Cup kicks off on October 5, featuring a high-octane match between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
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