Mumbai, July 4 (Petra) – A sea of humanity greeted the victory parade of T20 World Cup-winning Indian team at Marine Drive in south Mumbai as thousands of cheering fans gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars, bringing traffic to a complete standstill.
The open-bus procession, which was delayed by more than a few hours, left the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) at Nariman Point just after 7:30 pm and headed towards Wankhede Stadium.
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The journey usually takes five minutes, but took over an hour and a half as the players enjoyed the night of their lives by bathing in the water – not in the rain, but amid the pure love of their passionate supporters.
In 2007, Rohit Sharma was the youngest member of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's historic team, and now at 37, leading the T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team on a victory parade definitely gives him a sense of déjà vu.
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He is now the oldest member of the current squad, “he has been there and done that”, and even though the faces around him have changed in over a decade and a half, the now-retired India T20 captain has remained a constant throughout.
As the bus passed through the sea of people, his thoughts inevitably returned to that September morning in 2007 when Mumbai was as submerged as it was that Thursday evening.
Cries of “Who is the king of Mumbai? Rohit Sharma” echoed through the streets.
“They (audience) said that the despair we feel over this victory is similar to the despair felt by the fans,” Rohit said while addressing the crowd inside the stadium. “This victory has brought smiles to millions of people. This is a special team and this trophy belongs to the nation.
Then there is Hardik Pandya, who could find organic appeal, after an impressive performance in the T20 World Cup where he was the first to lift the trophy and show it to the fans.
The 'Mumbai Indians' who were once mocked are now the 'Mumbai Indians' who are cheered and applauded.
Maximum City is all set to shower 'lots of love' on the colourful 'Baroda Bomber', who calls Mumbai his home.
He craves affirmation and unconditional love and now Mumbai is ready to embrace him again.
Perhaps falling from the sky was Mumbai's collective apology for their rudeness to Pandya during the Indian Premier League tournament a few months ago.
The players enjoyed the match, feeling the collective frenzy and euphoria of a country that loves its cricketers more than the game itself.
A glimpse of Virat Kohli is something that many people miss.
'Bekararon ki Dawa Ek Nazar, Ek Nazar', written by Majrooh Sultanpuri, is for all those who have travelled from Virar to Thane and even other parts of the country just to take the pulse.
The king did not disappoint. He even asked the skippers along with Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel to dance to the famous Nashik Dholwalas at Wankhede as soon as they arrived at the stadium.
Earlier, the Indian team could leave New Delhi only around 3:42 pm after having breakfast with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after returning from Barbados in the wee hours of the morning.
The Wankhede Stadium was opened to fans, who filled the stands within minutes to celebrate the team's title win.
After landing in the city, their plane performed the famous 'water salute' at Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
The players left the airport with a sea of fans and media waiting for them for several hours.
Meanwhile, as the gates closed amid torrential rain, extreme humidity and chaos, several thousand people remained seated despite the absence of food and water.
The DJ continued to entertain the fans with songs from all genres and at one point, Wankhede looked like he was having a dance party in the rain as the stadium speakers blared Vengaboys' hit song “To Brazil” and the country's unofficial sports song “Chak of India”.
Soon after, the Wankhede came alive with the usual chants of “Sachin… Sachin” followed by “King of Mumbai, Rohit Sharma!” and “India… India”.
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