On touchdown, the flight carrying the Indian cricket team that won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 was welcomed at the Mumbai airport with a water salute on Thursday evening, viral videos on social media showed.
A water salute is a welcoming ritual in which two fire engines parked on either side of the runway use their cannons to create a giant arc above an airplane as it taxies to its gate.
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Team India reached Mumbai from New Delhi for a felicitation ceremony and victory parade. Ahead of the parade from Nariman Point to the Wankhede Stadium, where the official function will take place, fans thronged Mumbai Airport in thousands to greet the champion T20 side.
The bus carrying the Indian cricket team left Mumbai airport for the victory parade around 6:30 PM, news agency PTI confirmed.
The start of the victory parade at the Marine Drive was delayed as the squad landed in the city a little after 5:00 pm local time.
As per the itinerary shared by the officials here, the T20 World Cup winning side was slated for a two-hour open bus parade from the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Nariman Point till the Wankhede Stadium from 5:00pm to 7:00 pm.
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However, it was learned that the team could only leave New Delhi by 3:42 pm after reaching the national capital for a meeting with the Indian PM Narendra Modi earlier in the day, having returned from Barbados only early in the morning.
The Wankhede Stadium here was thrown open to fans, who filled up the stands within minutes to celebrate the Indian cricket team's title triumph last Saturday.