India beat South Africa by seven runs in the Grand Finale of the 2024 T20 World Cup and ended an eleven-year-old losing streak in ICC events. This was their second T20 World Cup triumph and first World Cup win in the last 15 years.
The Men in Blue were received at home in a grand fashion with a series of events that took centerstage on July 4 to commemorate the achievement.
Breakfast with PM
The Rahul Dravid-coached unit’s departure from the Caribbean islands was temporarily halted by the onset of Hurricane Beryl. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) booked a chartered flight for the Indian contingent and the journalists after a few days’ delay. They left Barbados on July 3 for a 16-hour journey and landed in New Delhi on July 4 at 5:27 PM local time. 
Right after, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, among others, danced to the tune of Indian bands in the airport with the trophy in hand. They were invited for a breakfast with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, so the team arrived on time at ITC Maurya.
Long Queues in Marine Drive
Team India had to board a flight to Mumbai in the afternoon, which took them approximately 2:10 hours. As the victory parade was scheduled in Marine Drive, a swarm of fans jam-packed the area hours before their arrival. Also, free entry was announced at the Wankhede for India’s felicitation ceremony, and a sea of blue awaited for the Champions. The Mumbai Police via X announced that the public should avoid taking the Marine Drive commute for the day.
Open Bus victory parade
While no one knew when the team bus would arrive from the airport, fans kept waiting in a long queue despite all odds. The weather turned gloomy and started raining for a while before the open-top team bus finally arrived. The crowd went berserk as the journey began from the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) at Nariman Point to Wankhede. While it originally took five minutes to cover the distance, the bus traveled for one and a half hours with all fifteen men from the Indian squad accompanied by the support staff and BCCI officials on the bus.
The top highlight from this victory parade was Virat Kohli going towards the rear half of the bus to pull Rohit Sharma near the audience. Both of them seemed jubilant and lifted the trophy before the crowd. Also, one of the videos circulating on social media showed Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, and fielding coach T Dilip joining the crowd in chants of “Mumbai cha Raja, Rohit Sharma” in the loop. A fan also climbed a tree to get an aerial view of Team India amidst the throng.
Interviews of Rohit, Virat and Bumrah
Following the open-top bus parade, the Indian squad entered the Wankhede Stadium and made their presence felt. Accompanied by the BCCI dignitaries, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah were called up for special interviews with Gaurav Kapoor as the host.
Rohit did not shy away from expressing that the World Cup trophy belongs to every individual in this nation. He also lauded Hardik Pandya for bowling the last over and successfully defending 16 runs under pressure.
“This trophy is for the entire nation. Along with all the players who have represented the country, we want to dedicate it to our fans, who have waited for 11 years,” cited the Indian skipper….The huge turnout of fans to welcome us shows they were as desperate for this T20 World Cup title as we were.”
“Hardik was bowling the final over for us. Hats off to him for bowling that last over. No matter how many runs you need, there is always so much pressure to bowl that over. But hats off to him,” he further added.
Subsequently, the spotlight shifted to Kohli, who was called to the podium by Gaurav. The latter quoted Bumrah as the eighth wonder of the world to which Kohli agreed to sign a petition. The former Indian captain wholeheartedly lauded the Indian spearhead for his brilliant outing in the World Cup.
“I will sign [petition] it right now. Bumrah is a once-in-a-generation player, and I am so glad he plays for us. What I would like everyone to do is applaud a guy who brought us back into games again and again and again in this tournament. What he did in those last 5 overs was phenomenal,” Kohli said during the interview.
Eventually, Rahul Dravid was called upon as well. The former Indian head coach praised the Indian fans for their unwavering support and said he would miss this compassion.
“I am going to miss this love. What we have seen today is phenomenal. What we have seen right from the time we have landed here. Just the love of these people and fans. It is the greatest game in the world because of the fans of India,” said Dravid.
Team India’s victory lap at Wankhede- singing Vande Maataram
At the end, the Indian squad, including the support staff and BCCI dignitaries, did a lap around the Wankhede. As the DJ played India’s national song, Vande Mataram, all the Indian players buzzed aloud its lyrics, with Rohit, Kohli, and Hardik leading the charge. On the way, someone from the fan threw a blue shirt towards the team, which landed on Hardik’s right hand. The all-rounder immediately threw it, leaving Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel behind him in splits.
Overall, the Indian team’s victory was celebrated lavishly, and the 1.4 billion fans made it even better. From players to coaches and support staff, the raw emotions were captured in the camera during ultimate glory.
