Fans brought Mumbai to a standstill as they welcomed India's T20 World Cup-winning men's squad back to the country in the city's iconic Marine Drive. The promenade was teeming with millions of joyous people as the Indian team took an open-top bus parade across it from Nariman Point to the Wankhede Stadium.
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin may not have been part of the squad for the tournament but he was very much involved in the conversations around it through his Youtube videos. A clip of him and Robin Uthappa tearing up after India beat South Africa in the final in Barbados last week went viral as well. Ashwin, who became the second Indian after Anil Kumble to take more than 500 Test wickets earlier this year, has now spoken about the victory parade in Mumbai and the stunning crowd that greeted the Indian team on the road and inside the Wankhede Stadium.
“Watching all the videos and pictures from the celebrations yesterday in Mumbai just fills my heart. This nation has given and continues to give so much to the sport. Once again so proud of the champions,” said Ashwin. The 37-year-old has taken 72 wickets for India in 65 T20Is.
‘Truly a full circle moment’
Ashwin has felt the pain of missing out on the big titles with the Indian team since they won the 2013 Champions Trophy. Ashwin was part of the Indian team that won the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, with the latter being the last major title that they had won before this year's T20 World Cup. He has felt the pain of missing out on world titles with the Indian team in the recent past, with his last T20I appearance itself coming in the 10-wicket loss that India suffered at the hands of England in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
{{/usCountry}}Ashwin has felt the pain of missing out on the big titles with the Indian team since they won the 2013 Champions Trophy. Ashwin was part of the Indian team that won the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, with the latter being the last major title that they had won before this year's T20 World Cup. He has felt the pain of missing out on world titles with the Indian team in the recent past, with his last T20I appearance itself coming in the 10-wicket loss that India suffered at the hands of England in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
{{/usCountry}}The spinner earlier said on his Youtube channel that the way the Indian players, particularly senior stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya broke down after the last ball of the final showed how much it meant for them.
“Unbelievable. I have watched cricket through the years, I have played it, I have won trophies such as the World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013. But, the way that the players emoted upon winning, what it meant to them all, with Dravid bowing out in 2007 to Rohit and Virat coming so close to winning multiple titles, it was truly a full circle moment without any doubt,” said Ashwin.