NEW DELHI: The city of Mumbai witnessed an outpouring of joy and celebration as thousands of cricket enthusiasts gathered to witness the victory parade of the Indian cricket team on Thursday evening. The parade was organized to celebrate the team's triumph in the T20 World Cup.
The southern part of Mumbai, particularly the iconic Marine Drive, experienced massive traffic congestion as a sea of people converged to catch a glimpse of the victorious team.
Major railway stations, including Churchgate on the Western Railway network and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on the Central Railway route, were crowded with people from various parts of the city, making their way to the southern tip of the metropolis to witness the parade.
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During the parade, a particularly enthusiastic fan caught the attention of Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The fan had climbed a nearby tree, presumably to get an unobstructed view of the parade. Kohli, in an amused manner, drew Rohit's attention to the fan perched atop the tree, prompting a jovial reaction altogether.
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The streets and stations reverberated with patriotic slogans and chants, such as "Bharat Mata ki Jai", "Vande Mataram", and "India India", as the crowd, adorned in the Indian team's blue jerseys and waving the Tricolour, braved intermittent rain to catch a glimpse of the victorious team.
By evening, announcements were made advising people not to proceed further towards the sea face, as the area was already packed to capacity.
By 4:45 pm, traffic was halted towards Marine Drive, and the cascading effect left other roads in the southern part of Mumbai in chaos, with vehicles lined up bumper to bumper.
After the parade, the team reached the iconic Wankhede Stadium, where Virat Kohli led Team India in a victory lap with the T20 World Cup trophy in hand, further fueling the celebratory atmosphere.