One of the Indian stars celebrating from atop an open-roof bus, driven by thousands of cheering fans along Marine Drive, was Hardik Pandya. This is part of the victory parade as organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India following Team India's thrilling win over South Africa in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Final held at Bridgetown, Barbados, last week.
In a deeply emotional message accompanying the video, Pandya expressed gratitude, proclaiming, "all 1.4 billion of us" He extended heartfelt thanks to cricket aficionados for their unwavering support, emphasizing that their fervor fuels the players' dedication to celebrating alongside them.
"India, you mean the world to me! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the love.. these are moments that I will never ever forget! Thank you for coming out to celebrate with us, despite the rains| We love you so much!" Pandya conveyed in a post shared on X, formerly Twitter.
"Celebrating with you is why we do what we do! We’re all champions! All 1.4 billion of us! Thank you Mumbai, thank you India," Pandya exclaimed amidst exuberant revelry.
For the Gujarat-born cricketer, the T20 World Cup victory in Barbados marked a poignant turnaround after a challenging period. Pandya had faced setbacks, including retirement due to injury from the Men's ODI World Cup and facing criticism during the IPL, where he captained Mumbai Indians in place of Rohit Sharma. Then, that triumphant performance in the T20 World Cup final, especially that final over, with such support at the Wankhede Stadium, got the emotions running high once more.
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