Kanpur: India’s left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav expressed his feelings after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their win in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa.
The Men in Blue returned to India as undefeated T20 champions of the world, battling different and difficult opponents, conditions, pitches, and match situations on their way towards the championship trophy.
“We are very happy. We waited for this for a long time. It feels great to see our people here. It is a great pleasure to bring the World Cup. This is more for our India than for us… It was very nice to meet him (Prime Minister Narendra Modi),” Kuldeep told ANI.
On Thursday morning, the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team touched down in the national capital, Delhi, to a warm welcome from fans eagerly waiting for a glimpse of their favourite heroes and the trophy.
Following their meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, the players departed for Mumbai. In Mumbai, the Men in Blue had an open bus victory parade from Marine Drive to the iconic Wankhede Stadium. The parade was an affair to remember and marvel at, as thousands of fans gathered at Marine Drive and surrounded the bus before it could even get Indian players on it.
The team went to Wankhede amid cheers, chants, and claps from passionate fans. At the Wankhede, they were felicitated with the prize money of Rs 125 crore by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office-bearers. Players also talked about their win, and the performances of key players in the T20 World Cup inside a jam-packed Wankhede and danced their hearts out. The event also featured the players taking a victory lap to the tune of the country’s national song, ‘Vande Mataram’.
The flight was organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah and departed on July 2 from a hurricane-struck Barbados before arriving in Delhi at around 6:00 AM on Thursday. Board officials and members of the media contingent from the tournament were also on the flight.
India ended a 13-year ICC World Cup trophy drought with a victory in the final, defeating South Africa by seven runs on Saturday. Virat Kohli’s 76 helped India reach 176/7, while Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/18) helped India restrict the Proteas to 169/8, despite Heinrich Klaasen’s 52 in just 27 balls. Bumrah, who got 15 scalps throughout the tournament at a stunning economy rate of 4.17, got the ‘Player of the Tournament’ honours.
