The madness that ensued during Team India’s victory parade from Mumbai’s Marine Drive to Wankhede Stadium on Thursday wasn’t just confined to the roads as a man climbed up a tree to get a close view of his favourite superstars. The victorious Indian cricket team, fresh off their T20 World Cup win, landed in India yesterday, and before touching down in Mumbai, spent the first half of their day visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, having breakfast with him in Delhi. The open-bus show, which was to begin at 5:00 PM, started late, but once it was underway, the victory parade made for scintillating viewing as lakhs turned up in numbers to celebrate the homecoming of the newly-crowned world champions.
But even as the players soaked in every moment of the joy, love and adulation, they were taken aback when Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and others spotted a man perched on a tree, clicking pictures. Kohli was one of the very first to spot the man, and immediately brought it to Rohit’s notice. The India captain, who is no stranger to being heckled, immediately asked the man to climb down, but to no avail, leaving Kohli in splits. The video has been doing the rounds on social media, becoming an instant hit.
Watch the clip below:
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The spotlight was once again on Kohli and Rohit during India’s half an hour ride from Nariman Point to the iconic Wankhede Stadium, where the entire team, coaching staff and others assembled for the felicitation ceremony. Once it got underway, Rohit, Kohli, Player of the Series Jasprit Bumrah and the departing head coach Rahul Dravid delivered stirring speeches before dispersing to their individual homes. Most of these players will be taking a much-deserved break as the youngsters take on Zimbabwe starting Saturday.
Besides the tree man, another individual who attended the roadshow was in tears, complaining that he couldn’t catch a glimpse of his favourite cricketer, Kohli. The massive turnout of the crowd left Kohli and Rohit in absolute awe, almost overwhelmed, which was visible through their expressions while they were on the bus and later in the stadium. For Rohit, who has now been part of two World Cup winning squads for India, this holds a little more significance than the one 17 years ago in South Africa.
“2007 was a different feeling. We started off in the afternoon and this is in the evening. I cannot forget 2007 as it was my first World Cup. This is little more special because I was leading the team. So it’s a very proud moment for me. This is going to be mad,” Rohit said.
“You can make out the excitement and it shows how much it means, not just to us, but also the entire nation. It means a lot. I am very happy that we could achieve something like this for them as well.”
It was a sight, as both Kohli said, he will never forget, while Rohit thanked the public for their outpour of love from the moment the Indian team touched down in Delhi at 6:00 AM in the morning. While on the bus, Kohli constantly shook his head in disbelief looking at the number of fans that had flocked the Marine Drive and kept on waving and showing his gratitude.
