The Indian team is off to England with the aim of becoming World Champions for the third time. The 15-man squad took the flight to the host nation late last night. With all of them dressed smartly in formal attire at the airport, the group of players tasked with bringing the trophy home seemed to be in good mood.
Key members of the squad, including MS Dhoni, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal, were seen trying their hand at a rather violent sport that has taken the world by storm. No, it's not any of those barbaric duels from Game of Thrones but the cyber game of PUBG.
While Shami had a large iPad on which he was shooting down rivals, Chahal was engaged in the same activity on his smartphone. Other players like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were also busy with their gadgets, though we don't know whether they were also engrossed by the same pastime or something else.
Mohammad Shami wasn't a certainty in the Indian squad until his brilliant performance against New Zealand earlier this year made him a strong contender for the role of the third seamer in the playing XI. Chahal, on the other hand, had been overshadowed by his wrist spin-bowling partner Kuldeep Yadav before pushing himself back in the spotlight with some impressive performances against Australia.
The Indian team start their campaign to regain the trophy they last won in 2011 on June 5 against South Africa. Prior to the event though, the Virat Kohli-led side will play two practice matches - first one against New Zealand on May 25 and the other vs Bangladesh on May 28.
Whatever may have been the result of this cyber warfare, let's hope that the team can implement the same ruthlessness and fighting spirit on the field that they must have showed while combating their virtual enemies. If they do, the cup may well return to Indian shores.
