New Captaincy and Aerial Links: Muscat's Desi Community Scores on Two Fronts
For Muscat's South Asian community, cricket and connectivity to home are never far from the heart — and this week brought good news on both counts.
🏏 Shukla Steps Up as Oman's New Cricket Captain
Oman Cricket has appointed wicketkeeper-batter Vinayak Shukla as the national team's new captain, succeeding the long-serving Jatinder Singh. The 29-year-old, who made his international debut in December 2024, has already accumulated 312 runs in ODIs and 447 runs in T20Is. The leadership change comes at a pivotal moment, with Oman sitting fourth in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 standings and crucial fixtures ahead, including the ACC Men's Premier Cup. Head coach Sulakshan Kulkarni praised Shukla's sharp reading of the game from behind the stumps, while Oman Cricket secretary Madhu Jesrani described the appointment as a 'changing of the guard.' Jatinder, the country's all-time leading run-scorer in white-ball cricket, will continue to play a role within the squad. [1]
✈️ Air India Express Restores Muscat Flight Services
Air India Express has resumed flights connecting multiple Indian cities to Muscat, alongside services to Kuwait and Salalah, as regional tensions in West Asia ease. The resumption restores what the airline describes as its full West Asia network, offering welcome relief to the large Indian diaspora community in Muscat that depends on these routes for travel to and from home. The restoration of services provides renewed confidence to travellers who had faced disruption during the period of heightened regional uncertainty. [2]
Sources: [1] Muscat Daily · [2] NDTV Profit