NEW DELHI: The T20 World Cup victory parade of Rohit Sharma and co. concluded in Mumbai on Thursday. The parade, which kicked off from Marine Drive, ended at the Wankhede Stadium. An ocean of humanity greeted the victory parade in South Mumbai’s Marine Drive as thousands of passionate fans gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars, bringing the traffic to a complete standstill.The open bus parade, which was delayed by more than a couple of hours, started from the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Nariman Point post 7:30pm and went till the Wankhede Stadium.The distance is covered usually in five minutes but it took more than one-and-a-half-hour as the players savoured the evening of their lives all drenched, not in rain but unadulterated love from their die-hard fans.Rohit Sharma thanked Mumbai for the turnout, “The huge turnout of fans to welcome the Indian cricket team shows they were as desperate for this T20 World Cup title as the players,” he said.Outgoing coach Rahul Dravid expressed his gratitude, stating, “I am going to miss this love. What I saw on the streets tonight, I won’t forget it.”Virat Kohli reflected on the emotional impact of the victory, saying, “I couldn’t connect with the emotions of seniors who cried after the 2011 World Cup triumph, but now I do.” He also observed, “This is the first time in 15 years that I have seen Rohit show so much emotion.” “When we were climbing those steps (at Kensington Oval) he was crying and I was crying,” Kohli added.India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah expressed, “What I saw today, I have never seen anything like this before,” following the parade. Virat Kohli made a bold declaration. “I’m signing the petition right now for Jasprit Bumrah to be the eighth wonder of the world,” Kohli proclaimed, praising the “once-in-a-generation” bowler who earned India’s player of the tournament title. Mumbai echoed their approval with resounding cheers—hardly a surprise, given Bumrah’s exceptional performance.Then there was Hardik Pandya, who probably found organic acceptance, after a stellar T20 World Cup campaign as he was the first to lift the trophy and show it to the fans.The once jeered ‘Mumbai Indian’ was the cheered ‘Indian’ in Mumbai.The ‘Maximum City’ was ready to shower ‘Maximum Love’ for the colourful ‘Baroda Bomber’, who has made Mumbai his home.He craved for validation and unconditional love and Mumbai was now ready to embrace him once again.One of the standout moments at Wankhede was when the Indian captain lauded his deputy, Pandya, for his pivotal role in bowling the final over of the T20 World Cup final.”Hats off to him for bowling that last over. Regardless of the required runs, there’s immense pressure in bowling that over. Hats off to him,” the Indian skipper praised, prompting chants of “Hardik! Hardik!” from the crowd. Pandya responded with a smile, standing up to wave at the cheering fans.Pandya later expressed his gratitude on social media, thanking India for its overwhelming love and support during the celebrations
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