Rohit Sharma led Indian cricket team, which returned from Barbados earlier Thursday morning after winning the ICC T20 World Cup, met PM Narendra Modi at his residence.
The side was unable to head back home immediately after the title win due to a shutdown forced by hurricane Beryl in Barbados. They were cocooned in their hotel before the BCCI secretary Jay Shah made arrangements for a special charter flight.
The Air India special charter flight AIC24WC — Air India Champions 24 World Cup — which left Barbados around 4:50am local time on Wednesday arrived in Delhi at 6am (IST) on Thursday after a 16-hour non-stop journey.
Heavy security was deployed to keep the crowd in check at the Indira Gandhi International airport but that did little to dampen the spirits as fans cheered enthusiastically holding up posters of star batter Virat Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma and outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid.
Two buses were stationed outside the T3 Terminal to ferry the players to ITC Maurya Sheraton, where they were greeted by dhol and traditional Bhangra dancers.
Most of them, including skipper Rohit Sharma, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant, shook a leg with the assembled dancers, giving them a memory of a lifetime.
Even the on-duty security personnel had smiles on their faces as the players let their hair down after the long journey, shook hands with everyone who wanted to and moved into their rooms after cutting a cake that was kept ready for them.
The squad won the country its second T20 world title, ending an 11-year wait for an ICC trophy, on Saturday. India’s previous ICC title was in 2013 when it won the Champions Trophy under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Its earlier World Cup titles came in 1983 (ODI), 2007 (T20) and 2011 (ODI).
After meeting the Prime Minister, the players will fly to Mumbai to participate in an open bus victory parade followed by a felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium.
3.6 Crore Indians visited in a single day choosing us as India’s undisputed platform for General Election Results. Explore the latest updates here!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More
Less
Published: 04 Jul 2024, 11:16 AM IST