The T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma holds the Indian tricolour during open bus victory parade, in Mumbai, on July 4, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Rohit Sharma, India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain, thanked all the Indian cricket fans for supporting the team during its campaign.
“On behalf of my team and the BCCI, I would like to thank the fans! Ever since we have reached India, we have seen how much it means to them. For the last 11 years, they have wanted the trophy back in India!,” Rohit said while addressing a choc-a-bloc Wankhede Stadium.
Team India victory parade highlights: Indian team feted at Wankhede after open-bus parade
“As much desperation we had to win the trophy, the fans had it a bit more. This team is special and I am lucky to have the chance to captain this unit.”
After arriving in New Delhi from Barbados early morning, the Men in Blue met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The squad then flew down to Mumbai and celebrated with the fans during a roadshow followed by an event at the Wankhede.
Head coach Rahul Dravid, in his last formal appearance as India’s head coach, stated winning the T20 World Cup was a fitting note to end his stint. “This is a fantastic note to sign off on. I am going to miss all this love. What we have been seeing today and what I have heard since the win shows how India makes cricket brilliant,” Dravid said.
Veteran Virat Kohli, who announced his T20I retirement after emerging Player of the Final, compared the 2011 ODI World Cup win with the recent triumph. “When we won the World Cup in 2011, there were a lot of tears among the seniors and I couldn’t understand. I was young and we had won the World Cup,” Kohli said.
“But now, being a senior player, with Rohit besides, after playing for so long, it is special. This is the first time I have seen Rohit show so much emotion on the field. When I was walking up the steps, I was crying, he was crying and we hugged. That is a special moment.”
Jasprit Bumrah, the Player of the Tournament, felt it was a surreal moment for him to return to Wankhede. “It feels amazing. This ground is really special in my life. As an under-19 kid, I came here to play cricket and what I saw today, I will never forget that,” Bumrah said.
“ The confidence that we have to take the game by the neck and pull us out of trouble is special. Our aim is to take Indian cricket forward. This World Cup gives us the motivation to go ahead and do it again.”