On 4th July, Thursday evening, a large crowd gathered at Mumbai’s Marine Drive, while the Wankhede Stadium reached full capacity, with fans eagerly awaiting the open-top bus parade and celebration of the Indian team’s victory in the T20 World Cup. However, the team’s arrival in Mumbai from Delhi was postponed, and the bus parade in South Mumbai faced additional delays due to the overwhelming number of spectators, resulting in logistical difficulties.
The parade finally commenced two hours later than planned; however, the congested roads and inclement weather did not dissuade the enthusiastic fans. The team had reached Delhi from Bridgetown, Barbados, at 6 a.m. after traveling on a charter flight. Their stay in the West Indies was extended due to Hurricane Beryl, which had resulted in airport closures. Upon their arrival in Delhi, the team was taken to a hotel and later that morning had the opportunity to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for breakfast.
“The squad landed in the city a little after 5pm local time. As per the itinerary shared by officials, a two-hour open-bus parade [was scheduled] from 5pm to 7pm. However, it was learnt that the team could only leave New Delhi by 3.42pm.” PTI reported.
“The open-bus parade, which was delayed by two hours, started from the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Nariman Point at 7.30pm and went till the Wankhede Stadium,” PTI reported. “The distance is covered usually in five minutes but it took more than an hour as the players savoured the evening.
The evening was designated for a gathering to honor and celebrate with fans; however, the thousands of individuals crowding the route to the stadium, coupled with the evening rain in Mumbai, created significant logistical challenges that resulted in a prolonged delay before any festivities could commence. Ultimately, the gates at Wankhede Stadium were shut, reaching full capacity, while sporadic yet intense rainfall continued.
The team ultimately reached the stadium at approximately 9 PM, where they were greeted with speeches from captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and coach Rahul Dravid. Additionally, a lap of honour took place.
India secured the T20 World Cup title by triumphing over South Africa in a nail-biting match, winning by seven runs in Bridgetown on Saturday. Following this victory, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja have declared their intention to retire from T20I matches, and this World Cup also marks Rahul Dravid’s final role with the team.
Hardik Pandya Becomes The First Indian Cricketer To Be Ranked As The No.1 All-Rounder In T20Is
Hardik Pandya has achieved the distinction of being the first Indian to attain the No. 1 position among T20I allrounders, according to the most recent ICC rankings. He advanced two positions to share the top rank with Sri Lanka’s captain, Wanindu Hasaranga, following his significant all-round performances during India’s triumphant T20 World Cup journey, in which the team remained undefeated and secured the championship.
Pandya smashed 144 runs at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 151, while also bagging 11 wickets at 17.36 in the West Indies and USA. That included a match-winning haul of 3 for 20 in the final against South Africa, which India won by seven runs to lift the trophy. Pandya’s best performance with the bat in the World Cup came against Bangladesh, as he hit 50* off 27 balls.
Also, the quartet of Marcus Stoinis, Sikandar Raza, Shakib Al Hasan and Liam Livingstone rose one spot each to be ranked No. 3, 4, 5 and 8, respectively, among the allrounders.
