Cricket lovers sang and danced to welcome Team India on their arrival in the national capital on Thursday. Specifically, the victorious T20 World Cup champions had a chance to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi face to face; however, this meeting occurred in private at the latter’s residence.
The tone was quite different from what they had in their last meeting with the Prime Minister, which was immediately after India’s crushing loss in the ODI World Cup final a little over seven months back. For the first time, the players were smiling, their shoulders up, adorned with the champion’s crest, and wearing the champions’ T-shirts.
PM Modi greeted the team joyously: Rohit Sharma, seated next to Modi, and Rahul Dravid, the head coach, was to his left. From the Indian team in the picture, vice-captain Hardik Pandya shared his seats with the PM, and star batters Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah sat near the team’s leadership.
Leading the country, the Prime Minister expended time talking indiscreetly, sharing jokes, and some plain companionship with the cricketers. He also landed a group picture with the whole team and the shiny T20 World Cup trophy.
India’s victorious campaign in the Caribbeans proved that they have the spirit to overcome hardships. The team just reached Delhi after being held up in Barbados because of the recent effects of Hurricane Beryl; fans were out as usual, waiting to get a glimpse of their cricket stars.
It was India’s second success in the format they had dominated, and it was a befitting response to adversity to win the T20 World Cup. Thus, the players are waiting for the next step, such as the Triumphal march on the open bus in Mumbai; the whole of India rejoices in the team’s success.
