“This is little more special because I was leading the team. It’s a very proud moment for me,” he added.

Tens of thousands of jubilant fans poured onto Mumbai’s Marine Drive to cheer India’s new world cricket champions when they returned home on Thursday.

When the nation jumped with joy and celebrated with their heroes 🇮🇳❤️#TeamIndia Captain @ImRo45 shares his feeling of being part of the majestic victory parade 🥳#T20WorldCup | #Champions pic.twitter.com/wVmU9nhT9f

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 5, 2024

Fans danced, waved the India flag, and flashed smartphone lights after waiting for hours to glimpse Sharma, Virat Kohli and the other cricket stars.

“You can make out the excitement. It shows how much it means not just to us but also to the entire nation. It means a lot. I am very happy that we could achieve something like this for them as well,” said Rohit, while cheering the fans from the rooftop.

Indian Cricket Team T20 World Cup Victory Parade Live: Team India celebration in Mumbai begins with an open-top bus parade at Marine Drive to be followed by a felicitation ceremony at Wankhede Stadium. (Hotstar)

The victorious squad landed in New Delhi early Thursday on a charter flight from Barbados. They met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence and later left for Mumbai.

Hundreds of supporters were gathered at New Delhi International Airport, many of them chanting “India, India” as the players came out and boarded a bus.

There were hundreds more waiting at the hotel to continue the celebrations, which started on Saturday as soon as the final was won. Some of the players danced to drum beats when they reached their hotel.

The team’s return from the Caribbean was delayed because of a shutdown in Barbados forced by Hurricane Beryl.

India had defeated South Africa in a tight finish in the Twenty20 World Cup final last weekend in Barbados for their first world cricket title in 13 years. The T20 triumph was India’s first World Cup title since 2011, when it won the OD World Cup.