Mumbai, Sept 26: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today thanked the countrymen for their overwhelming support and for gathering for the felicitation ceremony for Team India at the Wankhede Stadium. Addressing the teeming thousands who had braved the rains, he said it seemed Mumbai had come to a standstill.
“I was not sure what was happening. I had heard Mumbai never stops but we brought Mumbai to a stand still.” Dhoni said.
Answering host Harsha Bhogle’s question on the last moment of the game, Dhoni said, “I thought the ball will land behind Sreesanth. But when Misbah hit the ball, I was just watching Sreesanth’s hand all the while. The team needs one or two character like him.”
Replying to another question Dhoni added, “Small town guys are mentally stronger as they don’t have the resources. However in this team everyone wanted to do well at the international level.”
“We were relaxed as we had no pressure and no body expected us to win and that gave us that extra determination to succeed.”
Dhoni claimed “win was big for every one of us but seeing the crowd we were overwhelmed, it reflects how big the win is for the entire nation.”
Reacting to how nervous the team was, he said “Getting slightly nervous is understandable. However we had enormous faith in each other’s ability. Every body played his part and that was important.”
Earlier BCCI President Sharad Pawar in his welcome speech congratulated the entire team and support staff for the victory.
Pawar said, “I wish to congratulate the team members and the managers with entire team staff, I wish to particularly congratulate Yuvraj Singh for his feast. This young Indian team has made entire nation proud.”
“ I am also grateful to media for its continuous support to cricket. I congratulate entire team India as it will help the future of cricket in country,” he further added.
Team India gets heroes welcome
Earlier a triumphant Indian team reached the Wankhede Stadium in South Mumbai amidst loud cheers after a 30-km long victory parade atop an open top bus through the streets of Mumbai following their arrival from South Africa on Wednesday. Mumbaikars across all age groups braved the onslaught of the rains to welcome the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup champions in a grand way by thronging every available spot on the route.
Thousands of cricket enthusiasts poured into the Wankhede Stadium since morning for the ceremony, which is organised jointly by the Board for Cricket Control in India and the Maharashtra government.
Team India were felicitated by BCCI president Sharad Pawar. All the members taking a lap of honour that the crowd at Wankhede almost denied the players as it mobbed them.
Victorious Indian cricketers arrived here this morning to a tumultuous welcome following their triumph in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup as hordes of crowd braved strong rain to greet them.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil, top brass of the cricket board, including president Sharad Pawar, vice presidents Lalit Modi and Rajeev Shukla, secretary Niranjan Shah and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar were present at the airport to receive the players.
It was the kind of welcome Indian team had earlier received after Kapil Dev led the country to the 1983 ODI World Cup and prior to that in 1971 when Ajit Wadekar`s team had won the Test series in the West Indies.
Security arrangements had been beefed up at the airport but the players, surrounded by policemen, had a tough time getting out and finally board the open bus.
India`s `captain cool` Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the first to come out, along with administrative manager Sunil Dev.
Star batsman Yuvraj Singh looked little jaded but once he boarded the bus, the dashing Punjab player broke into a bhangra. All the other players looked quite relaxed and excited.
The players, clad in white t-shirt, acknowledged the cheer of the roaring crowd and waved the national flag.
Music troupes played the traditional Maharashtrian music outside the arrival lounge of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport here while many other waited with flags and showered flowers on the team.
Motorcycle-borne traffic police personnel were escorting the motorcade, which comprises the team bus and an open bus carrying journalists.
The 1983 World Cup winning team led by Kapil Dev was also felicitated at South Mumbai`s Wankhede Stadium itself. Dev`s team had made a lap of the stadium during the function over 24 years ago.
Bureau Report
