Mumbai: Star batter Virat Kohli departed for London in the early hours of Friday from Mumbai after an exhausting day of T20 World Cup victory celebrations with a open-top bus victory parade followed by felicitation at the Wankhede Stadium.
Following the celebration, Kohli quietly made his way to London to meet his wife Anushka Sharma and children Vamika and Akaay. According to sources, he left India on a private chartered flight bound to London at 3.15 am and landed by 12.45 pm (IST).
The Indian team's journey back to India was marred by delays, but their arrival in Delhi was met with a grand reception. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the champions for a special breakfast. The celebrations didn't stop there. The team travelled to Mumbai for a spectacular road show, where thousands of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of their heroes.
The crescendo of the festivities was at the Wankhede, where the Board of Control for Cricket in India felicitated the team. The stadium echoed with cheers as the players danced and sang the patriotic song "Vande Mataram" by A R Rahman, uniting the nation in joy.
Bollywood actor Anushka was spotted at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York for the India-Pakistan game but had stayed away from the rest of the tournament.
Kohli's journey in the tournament had been challenging. Struggling to find form, he managed only 75 runs in the first seven matches while opening the innings for the first time in the tournament's history.
However, the final saw vintage Kohli. With the team in dire straits at 34/3 in 4.3 overs, Kohli delivered a masterclass, scoring a match-winning 76 off 59 balls, leading India to a competitive total of 176/7. India won by seven runs to regain the title after 14 years.
