Team India take the aerial route

Cricketers are no strangers to air travel but even they would struggle to recall the last time they had to hire helicopters. But with just two days between the final day of the third Test in Colombo and the first one-dayer in Dambulla,the Indians decided to hop into choppers to save time.

Instead of a five-hour drive from Colombo to Dambulla,the team went to the Sri Lankan armys headquarters and boarded an MI 17 and a Blackhawk for the 40-minute flight that gave the one-day players a chance to practice on Sunday.

With no airport in Dambulla,the team landed at a helipad close to their hotel. Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga confirmed the request had come from the Indian team management. If any team is happy to pay for the helicopter ride to Dambulla we are ready to arrange for it. The BCCI,I understand,paid for this trip, Ranatunga said.