After their return, Hardik Pandya addressed a heartfelt letter of gratitude to the Indian team and the supporters who flocked to Wankhede Stadium and Marine Drive in Mumbai.
Mumbai came to a complete stop when the T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team returned home. On an open-top bus down Marine Drive, where the 3 km long renowned site and its surrounding roads were filled with supporters, Rohit Sharma, the coaching staff, and a few top BCCI officials celebrated the triumph.
Hardik Pandya
One of the main protagonists in India’s exciting victory over South Africa in the Barbados final was all-rounder Hardik Pandya. In the final over, he bowled for South Africa, who needed to win by 16 runs. Pandya got two wickets with an impressive return of just eight runs conceded, including the vital removal of the dangerous David Miller.
Pandya celebrated and held the trophy in a video he posted to social media from the bus. He thanked Mumbai and the supporters for their tremendous support in an emotional remark that he shared.”India, you mean the world to me! I sincerely thank each and every one of you for your love. These are the times I will always remember! We appreciate you coming out in the rain to join us in celebrating! We adore you a great deal! Celebrating with you is why we do what we do! We are all champions! All 1.4 billion of us! Thank you, Mumbai, thank you, India,” he wrote.
From Boos to Cheers
Just before the T20 World Cup, Pandya had a particularly tough season in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He faced boos from the crowd at Wankhede Stadium almost every game, as fans refused to accept him as the captain of the Mumbai Indians. His performance suffered as a result, as MI finished last in the table with just 216 runs and 11 wickets at an economy rate of 10.72.
However, the same stadium was filled with cheers for him on Friday as he played a significant role in India’s victory. During the team’s congratulatory ceremony, Rohit Sharma praised Pandya’s efforts. “Hardik bowled the crucial last over for us. Hats off to him for that final over. You know the pressure of defending runs in the last over; hats off to him,” Rohit said, receiving huge applause from the fans.
In addition, Pandya thanked the Wankhede fans during the honorary ceremony held at the Mumbai Paltan base. At Kensington Oval, the all-rounder got three wickets for twenty runs during the T20 World Cup final. Hardik Pandya is favoured to lead India in Twenty20 international cricket matches after Rohit announces his retirement from the shortest format.