Team India’s Vistara flight from Delhi to Mumbai was accorded a ‘water salute’ in celebration of the T20 World Cup victory as it touched down the City of Dreams after a Guard of Honour at the airside, and cars escorted the team aircraft to the airport terminal stand. Once the team alighted from the plane, they walked through the Tricolour draped aerobridge, and all the team-members were greeted with a floral cascade showered on them in the arrival corridor.

A celebratory cake-cutting ceremony followed at the airport terminal even as thousands of excited fans lined up on the 1 km picturesque Marine Drive route from Nariman Point to Wankhede Stadium near Churchgate in anticipation of the team’s arrival for the Victory Parade planned on the route.

In a repeat of the road show held in the city 17 years ago when Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team had beaten arch-rivals Pakistan in the final of the inaugural 2007 World T20 in South Africa, Rohit Sharma’s world champion outfit on Thursday was also celebrated by a similar victory parade from Marine Drive to the Wankhede Stadium in an open bus.

Crowds at Churchgate and other railway stations began to swell in the afternoon as fans started gathering at south Mumbai to catch a glimpse of the World Cup heroes. The bus also has a picture of the elated Indian team after they won the T20 World Cup trophy in the West Indies.

Team #India commences its victory parade in Mumbai, passing through a throng of cricket enthusiasts gathered to witness the #T20WorldCup champions.#VictoryParade #IndiaCricketTeam #Mumbai #TheStatesman pic.twitter.com/97Yn0n8rdy

— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) July 4, 2024

The Wankhede Stadium was thrown open to fans, who filled up the stands within minutes to celebrate the Indian team’s title triumph last Saturday. The iconic stadium which witnessed India’s last ODI World Cup triumph in 2011 had its stands filled to the brim by passionate fans as thousand others waited outside the gates which were closed around 5:00pm. The heavy shower in Mumbai could hardly deter the enthusiasm of the crowd.

Chants of ‘Mumbai cha raja Rohit Sharma’ were heard across the stadium welcoming the 37-year-old Rohit, a local boy and a crowd favourite in the city.

Signalling his grand return to Mumbai, Hardik Pandya, the India vice-captain and also the captain of the city’s IPL franchise, emerged from the airport with the World Cup trophy in his hands. The crowd erupted in joy as the players began their parade on the streets of Mumbai. For the 30-year-old, it was nothing short of a redemption as he was rolled a red carpet by the Mumbai crowd that not so long ago booed him after he replaced Rohit as Mumbai Indians skipper.

Flanked by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, president Roger Binny, treasurer Ashish Shelar, vice president Rajeev Shukla, Team India players took turns to hold the trophy and wave the Tricolour. Fans were seen taking pictures of the champions on the bus with some enthusiasts even climbing on trees to get a closer look of the heroes.