Met the Prime Minister; fans celebrated
The Indian cricket team, which won the T20 World Cup, returned home today by a special plane. Amid heavy traffic and tight security arrangements, the fans gave a warm welcome to the players at the airport. After this the team members met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over breakfast. Hundreds of fans braved the weather at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, waving placards and national flags to get a glimpse of the players. Last Saturday, India won the title by defeating South Africa by seven runs in the T20 World Cup final.
The Indian team could not return to the country immediately after winning the title due to the ‘shutdown’ in Barbados due to Cyclone Beryl. The players stayed in their hotel, after which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) arranged for a special flight for the team’s return. Air India’s special flight AIC24W ‘Air India Champions 24 World Cup’ departed from Barbados at 4:50 am IST on Wednesday and reached Delhi at 6 am today after a 16-hour non-stop journey. Two buses were parked outside the T3 terminal to take the players to the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel.
On reaching the hotel, the players were welcomed by playing Bhangra on drums. Many players including captain Rohit Sharma, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant celebrated by dancing Bhangra. After cutting the trophy-like cake, the players went to their rooms. After some time, he left for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence to meet him.
Before returning to the hotel, the Indian team spent two hours at the Prime Minister’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in the presence of BCCI President Roger Binny, Secretary Jay Shah and Head Coach Rahul Dravid. In a video later released by the Prime Minister’s Office, the players can be seen interacting with Modi.
