No Gautam Gambhir as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma fly to Australia for ODI series with first batch
New Delhi (PTI): Senior cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were among the first group of Indian players who departed on Wednesday for the three-match ODI series against Australia, starting October 19.
Kohli and Rohit were joined by Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, and pacers Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna along with some members of the support staff.
The group arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in the morning, where a crowd of enthusiastic fans had gathered outside to catch a glimpse of them.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and some other members of the coaching staff will leave in the evening.
India is due to play three ODIs starting Sunday in Perth followed by Adelaide and Sydney.
It will be followed by a five-match T20 International series and the format specialists will leave on October 22 tentatively. The series will begin on October 29.
The ODI series has drawn considerable attention amid ongoing speculation about the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom have retired from Tests and T20Is.
After India’s 2-0 Test series sweep against the West Indies on Tuesday, Gambhir said he hoped Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would perform well in the upcoming assignment, though he avoided making any clear statement on their chances of featuring in the 2027 World Cup.
"The 50-over World Cup is still two and a half years away. It is very important to stay in the present. Obviously they are quality players. They are coming back. Their experience is going to be valuable in Australia," Gambhir had said in the post-series press conference.
"Hopefully those two guys can have a successful tour, and more importantly, as a team we can have a successful series," Gambhir said when asked about the future of the two former skippers.
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Regulator DGCA eases flight duty norms for pilots amid IndiGo crisis
Mumbai (PTI): Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday eased the flight duty norms by allowing substitution of leaves with a weekly rest period amid massive operational disruptions at IndiGo, according to sources.
As per the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, "no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest", which means that weekly rest period and leaves are to be treated separately. The clause was part of efforts to address fatigue issues among the pilots.
Citing IndiGo flight disruptions, sources told PTI that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to withdraw the provision 'no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest' from the FDTL norms.
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"In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations, it has been considered necessary to review the said provision," DGCA said in a communication dated December 5.
The gaps in planning ahead of the implementation of the revised FDTL, the second phase of which came into force from November 1, have resulted in crew shortage at IndiGo and is one of the key reasons for the current disruptions.
#BREAKING: #DGCA relaxes a clause which debarred airlines to club leaves with weekly rest to mitigate #IndiGo crisis
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) December 5, 2025
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