Captain Rohit Sharma reaches Dharamsala on helicopter for final Test

In a surprising twist, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who had been part of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's pre-wedding celebrations in Jamnagar, Gujarat, came back to the Indian squad on Tuesday, March 5. What caught everyone's attention was that the captain took a chopper ride to reach Dharamsala, which also happens to be the host city for the fifth and final Test for the ongoing Test series against England.

The decision to arrive via helicopter was likely influenced by the lack of available flights and the severe weather conditions in the region. Recent weather forecasts suggested that the event scheduled to start on March 7, could see temperatures below 10°C, with the potential for further decline, indicating severe cold weather conditions at the venue, along with the possibility of snowfall.

This isn't the first time a cricketer has employed a helicopter ride to get to the field. Recently, in January of the same year, Australia's David Warner also took a helicopter ride to reach the groun0d for featuring in a BBL game. Warner's chopper landed before the scheduled time of the game, in the outfield of the Sydney Cricket Ground.

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Poor visibility caused abandoned Ranji fixtures

It is noteworthy to mention that the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024 experienced extremely low visibility at the venues especially in the northern part of the country. Games at venues comprising Jammu, Chandigarh, and Rohtak apart from Dharamsala, had many fixtures abandoned due to poor light. Some games saw less than 100 overs being bowled across the span of four days, eventually enforcing the contests to end in a draw.

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Therefore, there is a prevailing uncertainty about whether lights and visibility will play a part in hosting the Dharamsala Test against the Three Lions. Additionally, experts have suggested that conditions are expected to favor swing over spin, leading to potential changes in playing combinations for both the teams in the series' summit clash.