On Thursday, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and the rest of the T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team were honored with a grand felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The players were awarded a massive prize money of ₹125 crores in recognition of their stellar performance. Prior to the ceremony, the team participated in an open-top bus parade that began at Nariman Point. However, the parade faced significant delays due to rain and traffic congestion. The journey of Rohit Sharma's Team India began after they departed from Barbados, which had just experienced the wrath of Hurricane Beryl. The team touched down in New Delhi on Thursday after their triumphant ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in the Caribbean. The team's victory came after a long wait for an ICC title, culminating in a thrilling final against South Africa at Kensington Oval in Barbados, where India emerged victorious by seven runs.
The Indian team faced a challenging return journey, as they were stranded in Barbados for three days due to the hurricane. To facilitate their return, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) arranged a special charter flight from the Grantley Adams International Airport. This flight, aptly named Air India Champions 24 World Cup (AIC24WC), departed the Caribbean island at 4:50 a.m. local time and landed in New Delhi at around 6:20 a.m. (IST). The BCCI ensured that the charter flight accommodated not only the Indian squad and support staff but also the players' families, board officials, and members of the travelling media contingent. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla mentioned that Indian journalists who were stranded in Barbados boarded the same flight, along with BCCI president Roger Binny and secretary Jay Shah.
Upon their arrival in New Delhi, the team received a heroes' welcome. The team then traveled to the ITC Maurya hotel, where Rishabh Pant proudly carried the trophy inside. The highlight of their day was meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence at 11 a.m. During this meeting, the players interacted with the Prime Minister and enjoyed breakfast with him. After the interaction, the team briefly returned to the Maurya before heading to the Delhi airport to board a flight to Mumbai for the felicitation ceremony at Wankhede Stadium.
This series of events not only celebrated their remarkable victory but also highlighted the logistical challenges and the eventual triumphant return of the Indian cricket team. The entire journey, from battling a hurricane to receiving accolades in their homeland, marked a memorable chapter in Indian cricket history.
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