You would think that the defending champions of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, team England, would be treated like royalty in India. They will be given business class seats on flights, allotted luxury suites in the best hotels, and given top-class services and facilities during their entire stay here.
However, team England had to travel economy class on an IndiGo flight for their journey to Guwahati for their warm-up matches against India scheduled for Saturday afternoon. According to NDTV, England’s wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow took to Instagram to share a picture from their 38-hour-long journey.
In the picture, we see how the cricketers are sitting tired in a chaotic flight, summing up the troubles they must have gone through.
Jonny Bairstow's Instagram story.
England team reached Guwahati in an economy class of a flight. pic.twitter.com/r3Uf3Klchz
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 29, 2023
Several people online found this incredibly funny as well as utterly disappointing. Many of them expressed that this is no way to treat defending champions and that the authorities should have arranged alternate flights with business-class seats. have a look:
Funny thing: I’m traveling in Indigo as we speak and having the same experience as the English players.
— Pratik (@fake_engineer7) September 29, 2023
@BCCI business class dena chahiye sabko
— Abhinav singh (@Abhinav_tmk) September 29, 2023
This treatment with defending champions? ECB should be ashamed of themselves
— 𝐊𝐨𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭!𝟎𝐧_👑🚩 (@bholination) September 29, 2023
Bhai at least Vistara book karwa lete. But shayad Guwahati nahi jaati wo🤔
— Shahzeb Khan (@theshahzebkhan) September 29, 2023
World Champion England traveled in an indigo economy
😂😂😂
— Ash (@Ashsay_) September 29, 2023
Bcci should have taken care. But shame some players are getting A class treatment and England team😔..
— 𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶.🏴 (@kohlifangirl178) September 29, 2023
Feeling bad for them 😪😪
— 𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶.🏴 (@kohlifangirl178) September 29, 2023
Do they not have their private flights or something? Is this the responsibility of the host nation or respective cricket councils?
— Aanshul Sadaria (@AanshulSadaria) September 29, 2023
This brings up a very valid question – how are these cricketers expected to play full-fledged matches after having such a tedious journey?