The Indian cricket team, led by Roht Sharma, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi for breakfast on Thursday. PM Modi congratulated the T20 World Cup-winning team during the hour-long meeting. The T20 World Cup-winning Indian team arrived at No. 7, Lok Kalyan Marg at 11 am IST. The players and the members of the support staff departed from ITC Maurya after arriving at the hotel to a rousing reception. Captain Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, and Virat Kohli were seen cutting a special cake prepared by the chef at the hotel.
According to India Today, PM Modi urged the team to go on a title-winning spree, expressing confidence that the T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados will give them motivation to do well in future tournaments.
In a video, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian cricket team players were seen sharing a laugh as they were reminiscing the World Cup campaign. Head coach Rahul Dravid was also speaking as the players sat together with the Prime Minister. PM Modi was smiling all through the video while seemingly enjoying the anectodes from the players. Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya also spoke during the meeting.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah and president Roger Binny also attended the breakfast meeting with the Indian cricket team.
The Indian team left the Prime Minister's residence and headed back to the New Delhi airport, from where they will head to Mumbai for an open-top bus parade.
The Men in Blue donned a customised India jersey with 'Champions' written on it as they left to meet PM Modi. It was reported that PM Modi hosted the players for a special breakfast during which he listened to the experiences of the World Cup heroes in the USA and the Caribbean. India defeated South Africa in the final on Saturday at the Kensington Oval in Barbados to win their second T20 World Cup crown.
India's T20 World Cup heroes returned home to a rousing reception on Thursday. The team, the members of the support staff and around 20-odd members of the media arrived at the New Delhi airport in a special charter plane arranged by the Indian cricket board (BCCI). Secretary Jay Shah also traveled with the team on the Air India plane. Notably, the chartered plane was arranged by the BCCI to bring home the World Cup heroes who were stranded for three days in Barbados, which was hit by Hurricane Beryl.
Thousands of fans lined-up outside the Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, braving early morning rain to catch a glimpse of the returning players. The Indian stars did not disappoint as they greeted and waved at fans who were cheering for the big-ticket players. Rohit Sharma walked out of the airport with the T20 World Cup trophy in his hand. He held it aloft in what has become a viral pose and made sure the scores of fans caught a glimpse of the coveted trophy.
Virat Kohli acknowledged the support from the fans, waving at them at the airport. He also posed for a couple of photographs with his fans at the team hotel in New Delhi. Head coach Rahul Dravid looked chuffed as he soaked in all the adulation from the crowd and the hotel staff in New Delhi.
Rohit Sharma led the celebration on Thursday too. The India captain danced to dhol beats outside the team hotel. Suryakumar Yadav, who took that catch in the T20 World Cup final, also flaunted his Bhangra skills along with Rishabh Pant. Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain and the last-over hero, returned home with a tinge of Caribbean flavour as he wore a white hat while posing to the shutterbugs at the airport.
The celebrations will continue throughout the day as the Indian team will be heading to Mumbai for an open-top bus parade and felicitation at the Wankhede Stadium. Rohit Sharma and his teammates will be on victory parade in a special open-top bus along Marine Drive for a 1km stretch. The captain himself urged fans to join the celebrations in a social media post.
Later in the day, BCCI secretary Jay Shah will hand over the trophy and the prize money of Rs 125 crore to the Indian players in the felicitation ceremony at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
The Indian cricket team ended a 11-year wait for an ICC trophy, winning the men's T20 World Cup in 2024. India won the trophy after an unbeaten campaign. India hammered former champions Australia and England before beating South Africa in a thrilling final.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is after the victorious campaign while head coach Rahul Dravid ended his tenure on a high.
Source: India Today