NEW DELHI:
T20 World Cup winners India returned home to a hero’s welcome on Thursday, greeted by huge crowds of euphoric fans and praised by a smiling Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a private reception.
Wild crowds chanted “India, India” after the team landed at Delhi airport from the Caribbean, having been delayed for days by Cyclone Beryl.
The group waved to the crowds and danced to drums and live music at their hotel before heading off to meet Modi at his residence.
Rohit and his team wore Indian jerseys emblazoned with ‘Champions’ as broadcasters showed images of them posing with their trophy and the premiership.
“A great meeting with our Champions!” Modi then wrote on social media platform X.
The evening saw the team parade in an open-top bus through the financial capital of Mumbai, the birthplace of India’s cricket obsession, along a waterfront route lined with cheering crowds.
Also Read: World Cup Champions India Meet PM Modi Ahead Of Victory Parade
They took a victory lap in front of thousands more fans at the Wankhede Stadium, the venue where India won the last World Cup for the 50-over edition of the tournament in 2011.
“This is surreal, watching my team with the World Cup,” said emotional fan Rohit Khanna AFP before the team lands.
“I saw the triumph of 2011, but this is a moment I will never forget.”
Despite the monsoon rain, crowds gathered outside the New Delhi airport well before dawn, waiting to catch a glimpse of their idols, who had defeated South Africa on Saturday in a thrilling final in Barbados.
Whistles and wild cheers greeted the players as they left the finish area with gold medals around their necks, some cheering their fans.
It was vice-captain Hardik Pandya who appeared first, wearing a Caribbean hat, and the crowd erupted when captain Rohit came out carrying the glittering trophy, which he raised in the air.
Star batsman Virat Kohli, who hails from Delhi, received some of the loudest cheers as he waved to hundreds of fans.
“It’s a dream for me to see India come home from a World Cup,” said a shirtless fan with a Kohli tattoo on his chest.
Last weekend’s victory ended an 11-year world cricket trophy drought for India after winning the Champions Trophy in 2013.
The final was the last match for coach Rahul Dravid, 51, who was bounced in the air by the team during the post-match celebrations.
Rohit, Kohli and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from international T20 cricket after the final.
Plane-tracking website Flightradar24 reported that Air India’s special charter was the “most-watched flight for much of the last 15 hours” as excited fans watched the team’s journey back from the Caribbean.
a href=”https://tribune.com.pk/story/2476694/indias-t20-world-cup-champions-celebrate-victory-with-mumbai-parade”>Source link
