Indian cricket team told to stay indoors after a suspicious package found near hotel

Birmingham, July 1 (IANS) The Indian men's cricket team is fine despite being confined to their hotel rooms for a few hours following instructions by local police, who investigated the presence of an unattended parcel in the vicinity.

The team had returned to its hotel after a practice session on the eve of the second Test match to be played at Edgbaston when the players were asked not to venture out because of reports of the presence of a suspicious parcel.

"Everything is fine," a team spokesperson informed IANS in response to a message.

Several posts on social media claimed that the team has been confined to their hotel rooms by the local police.

"The Indian team in Birmingham has been advised to stay indoors after Police cordoned off the Centenary Square area following reports of a suspicious package being found in the area," said a post on X, formerly Twitter.

According to reports by local media, West Midlands Police confirmed a cordon was set up around Centenary Square after a package was found unattended and raised suspicion.

The situation was de-escalated after an hour or so when the cordon was lifted and no harm was reported following an inquiry into the package.

The Indian team is currently preparing for the second Test of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Edgbaston here. The team had reached Birmingham last week after playing the first Test at Headingley in Leeds.

Ben Stokes's England are leading the series 1-0 following their five-wicket win over India in the first Test at Leeds, successfully acing a historic chase of 371 runs on the final day. India lost the match despite five centuries being scored for them as their lower order failed to contribute much in both innings. The Indians also fielded poorly, dropping many catches and misfielding.

Shubman Gill's team will be hoping to regroup and bounce back with a strong performance in the second Test.

--IANS

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