T20 World Cup Champions Arrival At Home: Surya, Pant, Siraj and Fans Show Their Enthusiasm and Excitement
Hundreds of supporters, holding placards congratulating their favourites and waving the national flag, braved the weather to welcome the champion side. “We have waited for this moment for the past 13 years. The team has made us proud by winning the World Cup,” a fan, who claimed to have been waiting since 4:30am in the morning said, referring to India’s last World Cup triumph which came back in 2011.
Heavy security was deployed to keep the crowd in check at the Indira Gandhi International airport but that did little to dampen the spirits as fans cheered enthusiastically holding up posters of star batter Virat Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma and outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid.
Two buses were stationed outside the T3 Terminal to ferry the players to their hotel, from where they will head to the Prime Minister’s residence at 9am tentatively for a reception. Tired but excited, the players acknowledged the waiting fans by waving at them and flashing warm smiles.Suryakumar Yadav was the most enthusiastic in responding to the cheering while wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant saluted the gathered crowd, and pacer Mohammed Siraj blew flying kisses in their direction.
Rohit and Player of the Final Virat Kohli, both of whom retired from T20Is at the end of India’s campaign, were among the last to come out of the VIP exit. Rohit, who held the coveted trophy in his hands, raised it for the fans to catch a glimpse before boarding the bus. Kohli gave a thumbs up to acknowledge the support before taking his place in the bus.