 "Team India arrived in Delhi at 6 AM IST from Barbados on a chartered flight. AP images")
Team India finally arrived home on Thursday as their flight landed at 6 AM IST in Delhi and were welcomed back home in a grand way as a huge number of fans lined up outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport braving rain and massive security deployment. The Indian cricket team won the T20 World Cup 2024 on Saturday with a seven-run win over South Africa but were stuck in Barbados due to Hurricane Beryl as their scheduled flight was cancelled.
The Indian cricket team was forced to stay back in Hotel Hilton for three more days due to the storm but finally left on an Air India special charter flight AIC24WC – Air India Champions 24 World Cup – that was arranged by BCCI, on Wednesday at 4.50 AM local time.
The new T20 World Cup champions, Team India, arrived in Delhi after a 16-hour non-stop flight which also carried the family members of the players, support staff, and BCCI officials apart from the cricketers.
As they came out of the airport in Delhi, the team was mobbed by fans, some of whom had been waiting since 3 AM. The fans welcomed the players with cheers and posters of their favourite cricketers.
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More Shorts“We have waited for this moment for the past 13 years. The team has made us proud by winning the World Cup,” a fan told news agency PTI.
India captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged the support by lifting the T20 World Cup trophy aloft and celebrating with the fans.
Team India soon took the two buses that had been arranged outside the T3 terminal and left for ITC Maurya Hotel in Delhi where they will get fresh before heading to the Prime Minister’s residence.
They are expected to meet the PM between 10 AM to 12 PM during which a felicitation ceremony could take place.
The Indian cricket team is also scheduled to leave for Mumbai after meeting PM Modi. An open bus road show has been planned in Mumbai to celebrate the T20 World Cup win.
Remember a road show was also held in Mumbai in 2007 after MS Dhoni’s India beat Pakistan to win their first T20 World Cup.