India's triumphant T20 World Cup team received a hero's welcome upon their return to New Delhi on Thursday. The squad, led by captain Rohit Sharma, was greeted by ecstatic fans before proceeding to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The team had arrived from the Caribbean, their journey delayed by Hurricane Beryl, and was met with chants of "India, India" from frenzied crowds at Delhi airport. After engaging with fans and dancing to live music at their hotel, the team, clad in jerseys labeled "Champions," visited Modi's residence. The Prime Minister posed for photos with the team and conversed with the players before they departed for Mumbai, where they were scheduled for a victory parade ending at Wankhede Stadium.
Earlier in the day, the players were welcomed with whistles and cheers as they exited the airport with gold medals. Some responded with thumbs-up to their supporters. "This is surreal, watching my team with the World Cup," said an emotional fan, Rohit Khanna. Despite the monsoon rain, fans had gathered outside the airport before dawn to catch a glimpse of their heroes, who had triumphed over South Africa in a nail-biting final in Barbados. Vice-captain Hardik Pandya was the first to emerge, wearing a Caribbean hat, and the crowd went wild when Rohit Sharma appeared with the trophy, which he proudly displayed. Star batsman Virat Kohli, a Delhi native, received particularly loud cheers as he acknowledged the hundreds of fans.
The victory marked the end of an 11-year wait for India's next global cricket trophy, following their 2013 Champions Trophy win. The team's last World Cup victory was in the 2011 50-over edition, captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. A fan held a poster of coach Rahul Dravid, reading "Thank you, Mr Dependable." The final was Dravid's last match as coach, and he was lifted by the team during the celebrations. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja all announced their retirement from T20 international cricket post-final. The team's flight was closely tracked by fans on Flightradar24, becoming the most tracked flight for much of the last 15 hours.
