The Sri Lankan team's preparations for the upcoming first one-day international against India at Nagpur hit a snag on Sunday, when they were left stranded at the Mumbai domestic airport for two hours.
The Indian Airlines flight IC 629, supposed to leave Mumbai at 1940 hours IST, was delayed by two hours and took off only at 2140 hours, leaving the visitors frustrated, with nothing to do inside the terminal building of the airport.
It was a feast for autograph and photograph hunters as they had easy access to the players, some of whom spent time at the airport restaurant. Some of the players, including Muttiah Muralitharan, watched the one-day international match between South Africa and New Zealand at a lounge.
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"It's very frustrating to wait for two hours at the airport. If we would have known about the delay earlier we would have waited at the team hotel," he said.
He said the team was scheduled to have a practice session on Monday morning.
"But now we will reach Nagpur at midnight. We have a practice session in the morning, but what can we do," he added.
Also troubled by the flight delay were hundreds of others passengers, traveling by Indian Airlines, as all the evening flights to other destinations were also delayed by an hour or two.
"The arrival of the aircraft into Mumbai has been delayed, as a result of which the departures have been affected," said an Indian Airlines official.
First, the shocking loss to a depleted Mumbai Cricket Association President's XI in a warm-up match on Saturday, and now this long flight dela; it seems Mumbai will be an experience the visitors may want to forget in a hurry.
