The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Roger Binny arrived at the ITC Maurya hotel in Delhi on Thursday to join Team India in celebrating their ICC T20 World Cup triumph. The World Cup-winning Indian team touched down in Delhi from Barbados to a warm welcome from fans eagerly awaiting their heroes and the sight of the silverware.
From the airport, Team India proceeded to the ITC Maurya hotel, where they will stay before their meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and head coach Rahul Dravid were among those spotted at the hotel.
The squad members, support staff, their families, and media personnel were stranded in Barbados due to Hurricane Beryl, a category four hurricane that had shut down Grantley Adams International Airport in Bridgetown for three days. A flight organized by BCCI secretary Jay Shah departed on July 2 and arrived in Delhi around 6:00 AM on Thursday morning. Board officials and media members from the tournament were also on the flight.
Upon landing at the airport, the Indian players were greeted with loud cheers from fans shouting “India! India!” and calling out the names of their favorite players. The Men in Blue acknowledged the support by waving to the fans from inside the team bus.
India ended a 13-year ICC trophy drought with their victory in the final, defeating South Africa by seven runs on Saturday. Virat Kohli’s 76 helped India reach 176/7, while Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/18) restricted South Africa to 169/8 despite Heinrich Klaasen’s rapid 52 off 27 balls. Bumrah, who took 15 wickets throughout the tournament with an economy rate of 4.17, was named ‘Player of the Tournament’.
A special cake featuring the T20 World Cup trophy will be cut at the ITC Maurya hotel to celebrate the win.
The Rohit-led team will have an open-top bus ride in Mumbai along Marine Drive to the iconic Wankhede Stadium from 5:00 PM onwards to celebrate their victory. After their meeting with PM Modi, the Men in Blue will depart for Mumbai for the grand celebratory parade.
