Mumbai never disappoints: Rohit Sharma doffs hat to Mumbai fans; dedicates ICC T20 World Cup win to fans, nation

Rohit Sharma, the skipper of the victorious Indian T20 World Cup team, dedicated the triumph to the fans and the entire nation at the felicitation ceremony held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.

Rohit said the trophy is for the fans and all the players who have represented India since the last World Cup triumph. “This trophy is for the entire nation. Along with all the players who have represented the country, we want to dedicate it to our fans, who have waited for 11 years,” the captain said to a thunderous applause at the Wankhede Stadium.

The Indian team landed from New Delhi in the evening hours and their aircraft was welcomed with a water cannon salute at the airport. The team then proceeded to Nariman Point from where the open bus parade started.

The Marine Drive was choc-a-bloc with a sea of blue and the open bus took hours to cover the small distance. The pouring rain was no deterrent as fans, in thousands and lakhs, occupied every inch of space available on the roads, the buildings and the Marine Drive promenade.

The rush for so huge that the Wankhede Stadium’s gates were locked as it couldn’t take more fans inside.

The fans waved the tricolour, the players greeted fans with glee, with the National Flag and the ICC T20 trophy.

Speaking about the match winning catch Suryakumar Yadav took at long off to dismiss the dangerous David Miller in the last over, Rohit doffed his hat to both the fielder and the bowler – Hardik Pandya. “I was standing at long on and Surya was long off. Hardik was bowling the final over. Hats off to him. How many ever runs you have, there is too much pressure. The wind was blowing across and we wanted to keep it away from Miller. When it went up in the air, I thought it would go over. I am glad that it didn’t carry out of the ground. For Surya to take the catch was exceptional. He has practised that a lot. To take that catch at the boundary line is a great effort,” the Indian captain added.

The captain had a special praise for Mumbai’s fans. “Mumbai never disappoints. We got a solid reception. On behalf of the team, we would like to thank the fans. I am very very happy and relieved,” he concluded.

The victorious Indian team were later presented with an INR 125 crore cash prize for winning the T20 World Cup. The players danced their hearts out with the fans and later gave away autographed tennis balls for the fans.