Mumbai/New Delhi | Their day started with breakfast at Prime Minister's residence and ended among a sea of fans who brought the 'Maximum City' to a standstill as India's T20 World Cup-winning cricketers beat the exhaustion of a 16-hour flight to enjoy a euphoric homecoming that resembled a giant street party.
Rohit Sharma and his men landed in the national capital on Thursday morning, expectedly weary as they were returning home five days after winning the trophy, thanks to a category 4 hurricane in Barbados.
But as they made their way out of the Indira Gandhi International Stadium in amid a steady monsoon drizzle, hundreds of fans were their to lift their spirits, chanting their names and waving the tri-colour.
So, it was hardly surprising that the energy caught on and was enough to keep them excited and awake through a gruesome day of travelling through two cities, felicitations, and the ride atop an open bus with thousands of camera phones aimed at their faces, trying to record their emotions for posterity.
"The huge turnout of fans to welcome us shows they were as desperate for this T20 World Cup title as we were," said an exhausted but elated Rohit at the end of the victory parade in Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium, packed to capacity with fans who cheered their lungs out.
There was dancing, there were multiple cakes, and the players, despite the jet lag and blood-shot eyes, played ball.
"We have waited for this moment for the past 13 years. The team has made us proud by winning the World Cup," said a fan, who claimed to have waited outside Delhi's international airport since 4:30am in the morning, referring to India's last World Cup triumph which came back in 2011.
The Air India special charter flight AIC24WC -- Air India Champions 24 World Cup -- arrived in Delhi at 6am (IST) on Thursday after a non-stop journey.
Heavy security was deployed to keep the crowd in check at the airport in Delhi but that did little to dampen the spirits as fans cheered enthusiastically, holding up posters of star batter Virat Kohli, Rohit and outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid.
The players acknowledged the waiting fans by waving at them and flashing warm smiles.
Suryakumar Yadav, who took the sensational match-winning catch of David Miller in the final, was the most animated in responding to the cheering.
Rishabh Pant, who returned to international cricket at the just-concluded event after a life-threatening car accident two years ago, saluted the gathered crowd, while pacer Mohammed Siraj blew flying kisses in their direction.
Rohit raised the coveted trophy for the fans to catch a glimpse before boarding the bus. Kohli, on his part, gave a thumbs up to acknowledge the support.
Two buses ferried the players to ITC Maurya Sheraton, where they were greeted by dhol and traditional Bhangra dancers.
Most of them, including Rohit, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar and Pant, shook a leg with the assembled dancers, giving them a memory that would last a lifetime.
Even the on-duty security personnel had smiles on their faces as the players let their hair down, shook hands with everyone who wanted to and moved into their rooms after cutting yet another cake, this time in the shape of the trophy they had brought back.
All of this unfolded amid expected media frenzy. A brief while later, they left to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence. Accompanied by BCCI President Roger Binny and secretary Jay Shah, the
squad, including outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid, spent close to two hours at the 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence of the Prime Minister before heading back to the hotel.
"An excellent meeting with our Champions! Hosted the World Cup winning team at 7, LKM and had a memorable conversation on their experiences through the tournament," Modi posted on 'X' along with pictures from the meet.
Following the meeting with Modi, the cricketers left the national capital aboard an afternoon flight and landed in Mumbai well past 5pm for a victory parade from Nariman Point to the Wankhede Stadium that was supposed to have begun by that time.
If anyone thought the wait would frustrate the fans, they were to be proved wrong and how.
The Nariman Point, from where the Wankhede stadium is barely two kilometers away, began teeming with people quite early in the afternoon. The wait kept getting longer, but the crowd, instead of thinning, began to build up.
Very soon, the Mumbai Police had to issue an advisory asking people to avoid the Marine Drive stretch due to the sea of humanity that had taken over every available inch on the road.
The players finally arrived atop the open bus and though the exhaustion of the day was beginning to catch up with them, the momentum had still not left their bodies.
Rohit and Virat, in a display of brotherhood, lifted the coveted trophy together and raised it for the fans, sporting wide grins. Their teammates, some of them draped in the tri-colour, danced and also clicked pictures.
They were startled for a second when a fan who had climbed atop a tree after perhaps failing to find a spot on the road, suddenly showed up in front of them as the bus kept moving.
It took over two hours to cover the distance and reach Wankhede, where there was another round of dancing, this time to the Nashik dhol.
Once inside, a packed stadium awaited them where they took turns to revisit their emotions before and after the seven-run win over South Africa, recalling the moments when it seemed the Proteas might just deny them.
Outgoing coach Rahul Dravid had lost his voice by the time his turn came, perhaps after all the screaming to show his appreciation for the fans' energy during the bus ride.
"I am going to miss this love. What I saw on streets tonight, I won' forget it," he said in a scratchy voice that desperately needed a soothing throat lozenge.
