Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 5 (ANI): After his team’s grand T20 World Cup win celebration parade in Mumbai, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said that the moment is a proud one for him as he was able to win as a captain, a World Cup which means a lot to his countrymen.
Following their meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, the players departed for Mumbai. In Mumbai, the Men in Blue had an open bus victory parade from Marine Drive to the iconic Wankhede Stadium. The parade was an affair to remember and marvel at, as thousands of fans gathered at Marine Drive and surrounded the bus before it could even get Indian players on it.
The team went to Wankhede amid cheers, chants, and claps from passionate fans. At the Wankhede, they were felicitated with the prize money of Rs 125 crore by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office-bearers. Players also talked about their win, and the performances of key players in the T20 World Cup inside a jam-packed Wankhede and danced their hearts out. The event also featured the players taking a victory lap to the tune of the country’s national song, ‘Vande Mataram’.
In a video by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), an emotional skipper Rohit recalled being a part of 2007 T20 World Cup win parade in Mumbai, when he was an up-and-coming star in international cricket at the age of 20. He expressed happiness at how much the win means to people in India and he could achieve it for them along with his boys.
“2007 was a different feeling. We started off in the afternoon and this is in the evening. I cannot forget 2007, as it was my first World Cup. This is a little more special because I was leading the team. So it is a very proud moment for me. This is going to be mad. You can make out the excitement and it shows how much it means not just to us but also to the entire nation. It means a lot. So I am very happy that we could achieve something like this for them as well,” said Rohit by BCCI.
The video by BCCI also featured some footage from the grand celebrations.
During the felicitation and celebration event at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, Rohit said, “This trophy is for the entire nation. Along with all the players who have represented the country, we want to dedicate it to our fans, who have waited for 11 years.”
Further, the opener hailed the Wankhade crowd and said thank you to them.
“Mumbai never disappoints. We got a solid reception. On behalf of the team, we would like to thank the fans. I am very, very happy and relieved,” Rohit said during the event,” the right-hand batter added.
In the end, the prolific batter lauded Hardik Pandya for his brilliance in the last over of the final.
“Hardik was bowling the final over for us. Hats off to him for bowling that last over. You know, no matter how many runs you need, there is always so much pressure to bowl that over. But hats off to him,” the 37-year-old concluded.
Earlier on Thursday morning, the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team touched down in the national capital, Delhi, to a warm welcome from fans eagerly waiting for a glimpse of their favourite heroes and the trophy.
The flight was organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah and departed on July 2 from a hurricane-struck Barbados before arriving in Delhi at around 6:00 AM on Thursday. Board officials and members of the media contingent from the tournament were also on the flight.
India ended a 13-year ICC World Cup trophy drought with a victory in the final, defeating South Africa by seven runs on Saturday. Virat Kohli’s 76 helped India reach 176/7, while Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/18) helped India restrict the Proteas to 169/8, despite Heinrich Klaasen’s 52 in just 27 balls. Bumrah, who got 15 scalps throughout the tournament at a stunning economy rate of 4.17, got the ‘Player of the Tournament’ honours. (ANI)
