India's T20 World Cup title celebrations might be put on hold due to the looming threat of Hurricane Beryl in Barbados. Just a day after their exhilarating victory over South Africa in Barbados on Saturday, June 29, the Caribbean island nation is bracing for a potentially devastating storm.
Team India stranded in Barbados amidst Hurrican Beryl
Reports indicate that Hurricane Beryl intensified rapidly on Sunday morning, reaching Category 3 status with winds exceeding 120 miles per hour. Forecasts predict further strengthening throughout the day. The New York Times warns that Beryl could bring life-threatening winds and storm surges to the Windward Islands, located southeast of Puerto Rico and north of Venezuela. As of Sunday evening (8:30 PM IST), the hurricane was positioned roughly 355 miles east-southeast of Barbados. With the situation expected to worsen in the coming hours, Team India might face a delay in their departure from the island.
AAJ TAK/Sports Tak's Managing Editor and Sports presenter Vikrant Gupta provided an update on the situation via his social media account late Sunday evening, June 30 IST. Posting on X, the veteran sports journalist mentioned that flights are already being canceled and the airport will shut down soon. He also stated that the Indian team will be stranded on the island and will be able to leave only once the situation improves.
"Hurricane Beryl will hit Barbados either tonight or early morning Monday. The landfall is going to be severe. Barbados airport will shut down and flights are being cancelled. Even the Indian team will be stuck here till the Hurricane subsides and airport resumes. We are stuck here too. All outbound flights are being cancelled," the veteran sports journalist wrote on X.
India is celebrating a remarkable cricket triumph! They defeated South Africa by 7 runs in a thrilling final, securing their second T20 World Cup title and their first since 2007. This victory places India alongside the West Indies and England as the only teams to win the tournament twice.
India's batting started shaky, reaching only 34 runs after losing 3 wickets. However, a brilliant performance by Virat Kohli (76 runs) and a crucial knock from Axar Patel (47 runs) helped them recover and post a competitive total of 176 runs on the board.
South Africa put up a good fight in response, reaching 151 runs for 4 wickets after 16 overs. But thanks to a strong bowling performance by India, especially in the death overs, South Africa fell short, ending their innings at 169 runs for 8 wickets.
With the World Cup win secured, India now sets its sights on a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe next month. The selectors have opted for a fresh squad for this tour, featuring mainly new players. Only three members of the victorious World Cup squad - Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube - will be participating in the series.
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