MUMBAI: The T20 World Cup-winning Team India lit up the iconic Wankhede Stadium with Mumbai, not with their performances with the bat and ball, but their energetic, fun dance moves during the celebrations of the team’s triumph on Thursday.
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’.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video on Friday morning of Indian players, including superstars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant breaking into a jig to the sounds of a dhol.
“Watch out for those moves Wankhede was a vibe last night. #T20WorldCup | #TeamIndia | #Champions,” tweeted BCCI.
Watch out for those moves 🕺🏻
Wankhede was a vibe last night 🥳#T20WorldCup | #TeamIndia | #Champions pic.twitter.com/hRBTcu9bXc
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 5, 2024
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 around 6 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)