President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil hosted party for the victorious Indian team that at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai Sunday evening.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni celebrated World Cup triumph by shaving off his famous dark locks while his team mates spent Sunday morning plastering a “thousand kisses” on the silver and gilt trophy that was finally in their possession.
The President shook hands with each of the team members dressed in striped T shirts, congratulating them on their stunning victory. The winning team posed for photographs with President Pratibha Patil.
In her message for the Indian team captain the president had said -that the road to success has been long and hard, you and your team were tested at every stage.
Last night when Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit splendid winning six off Nuwan Kulasekara whole India erupted into cheers with crackers and blast were heard at every corner of the country. It was a dream come true for the Team India who worked hard to achieve the feat.
As the ball flew over the boundary, emotional and poignant scenes unfolded at the renovated Wankhede stadium with the players hugging each other and picking up the stumps as souvenir to cherish the unforgettable moment. The night sky over the Wankhede stadium lit up with breathtaking fireworks as the Indians then took another lap of honour holding aloft the trophy and again the crowd cheered them lustily. Almost in every part of the city, people came out of their homes to celebrate the moment of glory together.
The historic Shivaji Park in South Mumbai witnessed jubilation at mid night by the locals. Indian fans were singing praises, dancing and burning crackers to celebrate the win of the Indian team.
All over the country it appeared as if the New Year and Diwali celebrations were no match to the celebration of Team India’s world cup victory. The cricket fans, who marched on the streets, celebrated the moment in all conceivable ways. Holding the Indian flag aloft, they raised slogans like ‘Hindustan zindabad’, ‘Chak de India’; burst crackers, hugged each other and distributed sweets.
In Delhi, thousands of cricket lovers came out on the street to celebrate the unforgettable victory of team India. Jubilant fans burst crackers and distributed sweets throughout the night.
Jubilant cricket fans waving tri-colour flags in every nook and corner of Delhi and people of all ages having their faces tattooed with dazzling tri-colour reflected the country’s passion and love to the game. The tears in the eyes of the, now World Champions, was a sight that no one would forget as the game of cricket was lifted to another level in a nation which breaths cricket, prays cricket and can die for cricket.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi also came out on the street of Delhi and joined thousands of ecstatic fans in celebrating India’s World Cup cricket triumph. She came out of her vehicle near the busy ITO crossing at 11PM and waved the national flag. She shook hands with the fans and displayed Victory and thumbs-up signs, drawing lusty cheers from the crowd around.
Celebration abroad
Thousands of Indians across the Gulf region watched with bated breath as team India closed in on the Sri Lankan total in the World Cup final. As soon as India captain Dhoni sent the winning stroke soaring into the crowds, scores of them leapt in joy, hugging and congratulating each other. Several of them got out to celebrate in the streets. Indians in Saudi cities of Riyadh and Jeddah, and in Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait also spent the large part of match gathered at community centers and other big halls to enjoy the match. An IT professional who went out with a group of friends to watch the match at an auditorium, said, this not only brings joy but also a sense of belief that as a nation we can achieve anything.