An eye-opening image of Black Caps at an airport in India shows the drastic safety measures taken to combat the rising spread of Covid-19 in the country.
Former Black Caps coach Mike Hesson, who is director of cricket operations at the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, shareda photo with the team's Kiwi players as they leave the city on their way out of India following the suspension of the Twenty20 competition.
The photo featured Hesson, Finn Allen, Scott Kuggeleijn and Kyle Jamieson in full PPE at Ahmedabad Airport.
"Take care India, you are a wonderful country and we know you will keep fighting and working together to get through this. See you all again soon," Hesson wrote on Instagram.
Hesson, Allen and Kuggeleijn will depart back to New Zealand from two charter flights out of Dehli - with the rest of the Kiwi IPL contingent - which is scheduled to land in Auckland on Saturday.
Jamieson will join members of the Black Caps test team Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner and physiotherapist Tommy Simsek in a Dehli hotel bubble before they fly straight to the United Kingdom on May 11 ahead of the two-test series against England and the World Test Championship final against India next month.
Pace bowler Trent Boult of the Mumbai Indians will return to New Zealand briefly to see his family before re-joining the test squad in early June. He could arrive in time to be picked for the second test against England at Edgbaston starting June 10.
NZ Cricket boss David White said the plan to fly the Kiwi group out of India was a good outcome for everyone.
"We've fast tracked the last 24, 48 hours working closely with the BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India], the franchises and also England cricket, and all along we've been talking to the players," he said.
"From the players point of view they were anxious whilst there was uncertainty. But now that we've got a clear plan I think they're a lot more relaxed and they've got certainty moving forward, and they can just get on with it now."
