After a 3-day delay, the Indian cricket team finally managed to escape the hurricane-ravaged Barbados and fly home in a special flight arranged by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday. It took the team 16 hours to reach New Delhi, with the plane landing on Thursday morning at 6:00 AM IST. As the team busses took Rohit Sharma and his men to ITC Maurya hotel, the BCCI shared a video of the team’s epic in-flight celebrations as they flew home from Barbados.
The video starts with skipper Rohit looking in the most funky mood ever. Rohit’s antics on the flight left fans in splits. Here’s the video:
Travelling with the prestigious on the way back home!
WATCH: #TeamIndia were in excellent company during their memorable travel day – By @RajalArora #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/0ivb9m9Zp1
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 4, 2024
Hundreds of supporters, holding placards congratulating their favourites and waving the national flag, braved the weather to welcome the victorious side, which defeated South Africa by seven runs in the final in Bridgetown on Saturday last week.
“We have waited for this moment for the past 13 years. The team has made us proud by winning the World Cup,” a fan, who claimed to have been waiting since 4:30 am in the morning said, referring to India’s last World Cup triumph which came back in 2011.
The side was unable to head back home immediately after the title win due to a shutdown forced by Hurricane Beryl in Barbados. They were cocooned in their hotel before the BCCI made arrangements for the special charter flight.
The Air India special charter flight AIC24WC — Air India Champions 24 World Cup — which left Barbados around 4:50 am local time on Wednesday arrived in Delhi at 6am (IST) on Thursday after a 16-hour non-stop journey.
The Indian squad, its support staff, the players’ families and some BCCI officials were aboard the flight along with members of the travelling media contingent.
Heavy security was deployed to keep the crowd in check at the Indira Gandhi International Airport but that did little to dampen the spirits as fans cheered enthusiastically holding up posters of star batter Virat Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma, and outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid.
Two buses were stationed outside the T3 Terminal to ferry the players to their hotel, from where they will head to the Prime Minister’s residence at 9 am tentatively for a reception.
They trickled out in ones and twos after completing immigration formalities.
With PTI Inputs
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