After muted celebrations, Indian players head home in batches

London, Aug 5 (PTI) A famous series levelling win at The Oval called for a major celebration but the Indian squad members opted for quiet downtime before leaving for home on Tuesday morning.

A chunk of the India squad members, including Mohammed Siraj, boarded an Emirates flight less than 24 hours after a dramatic finish to the fifth and final Test of a long and gruelling series.

The team members will landed in Dubai on Tuesday evening before taking a connecting to flight their respective home cities in India.

Siraj, the architect of the victory, will take the next available flight to Hyderabad after landing in Dubai. Arshdeep Singh and Shardul Thakur were among the ones to head back home.

Some of the players have chosen to stay back in the country for a well-deserved break.

Roughly four hours after the nail biting finish, some of the squad members including Arshdeep and Prasidh Krishna were seen spending time with their families in the heart of London.

Kuldeep, who like Arshdeep did not get a game in the series, was seen hanging around with former India player Piyush Chawla.

Jasprit Bumrah, who did not play the series decider due to workload management, was released from the squad during the game.

"There were no celebrations last night. It has been a long and hectic series. The players spent time on their own or with families. Most of the players are heading back to India, some are heading elsewhere," said a BCCI source.

Drawing the series in England was a big achievement for Gill and his inexperienced team, following the high profile retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Fair to say the team has moved on from two superstars.

India's next major assignment will the Asia Cup in the UAE next month. PTI BS KHS KHS