Mumbai, July 4: Thousands of excited fans and cricket lovers lined up on the 1-km picturesque Marine Drive route from Nariman Point to Wankhede Statium near Churchgate to accord a grand welcome to Team India, which landed in Mumbai on Thursday evening.

The entire stretch from Nariman Point to Churchgate was chock-a-block with fans, and the Wankhede Stadium reverberated with thunderous slogans and cheers from the crowd assembled there since afternoon.

The roads to and from Nariman Point and Churchgate areas experienced huge traffic snarls in the evening peak hours as an enthusiastic sea of humanity comprising men, women, youngsters and even many senior citizens gathered on the Arabian Sea shores for the big occasion.

Landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Team India's Vistara flight from Delhi to Mumbai was accorded a 'water salute' in celebration of the T-20 World Cup victory.

From there, the team-members shall proceed to south Mumbai for the victory parade atop an open-deck bus specially brought here from Gujarat to take the Men In Blue for a right royal ride.

The bus had undergone extensive make-up for the momentous occasion in a livery of Team India colours, photos of the World Cup and cricket icons.

As the thrilled crowd awaited a 'darshan' of the cricket champions and a glimpse of the World Cup trophy, the skies became overcast with dark monsoon clouds, amid intermittent showers, and hundreds of umbrellas suddenly opened up on Marine Drive.

Simultaneously, lakhs were glued to their television sets or the social media for live updates on the team's arrival, welcome, and the upcoming victory parade, with crowds thronging even outside the CSMIA and at vantage points en route hoping for a peek at the heroes.

--IANS

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