
T20 world champions India had a special cake-cutting ceremony at the ITC Maurya Hotel, New Delhi on Thursday (July 4) before heading to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian team, who were stranded in Barbados following their T20 WC win due to Hurricane Beryl, reached the national capital early Thursday morning and met PM Modi before heading to Mumbai for an open-bus victory parade at the Marine Drive. Ahead of their meet-up with the PM, captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid and the likes had a special cake-cutting ceremony.
The special three-tier cake curated by the chefs of ITC Maurya had the hues of orange, blue and white, representing the colours of India's T20I jersey. In addition, it was topped with the replica of the coveted silverware that India won, at the Kensington Oval, Barbados, and comprised images of India lifting the iconic trophy.
Here is the video of the special cake-cutting ceremony, where the players were also seen donning the special 'champions' jersey -
Talking about Team India's historic T20 WC triumph, they defeated Aiden Markram-led South Africa by 7 runs in an epic final, held at the Kensington Oval, Barbados, on June 29. Opting to bat first, India rode on Virat Kohli's 59-ball 76 to post 176-7 and later defended the score by restricting the Proteas for 169-8, courtesy of Hardik Pandya's 3 for 20 and two scalps each from Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
With this, India ended their 11-year-long ICC title drought and also ended their 17-year-long wait for a second T20 WC win. In 2007, MS Dhoni-led Men in Blue won the inaugural edition in South Africa, beating Pakistan by 5 runs in the final in Johannesburg.
Upon arrival in India, the national side have a busy day on Thursday. After meeting PM Modi, they have left for Mumbai for an open-top victory bus parade at the city's Marine Drive.