Hundreds of thousands gathered in Mumbai on Thursday to celebrate the return of their cricket World Cup-winning team. India beat South Africa in the 20-over tournament final at the weekend in Barbados, marking a first world cricket title in 13 years for the world’s most populous nation.

The team’s return was delayed due to Hurricane Beryl, which has killed at least 10 people in the Caribbean. After they were brought home on a chartered Air India plane, they first attended a breakfast hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi described the meeting as “excellent” and said he had a “memorable conversation” with the cricketers about their experiences throughout the tournament.

After landing in Mumbai from Delhi, the team led by Rohit Sharma rode an open-top bus to the Wankhede Stadium, where grand celebrations were organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Although rains threatened to be a spoilsport, huge crowds lined the streets to celebrate their team’s victory, waving banners and chanting slogans. According to media reports, citing Mumbai police, several fans were injured and some had trouble breathing during the parade.

Meanwhile, clips of die-hard cricket enthusiasts jostling for a glimpse of the team emerged on social media. “Cricket is religion in India,” one person noted on X (formerly Twitter), sharing a clip of fans. He added that the visual was taken at the Wankhede.

One of the fans even climbed up a tree for a closer look at the team as it waved to fans from atop a double-decker bus. “Cricket fever in India has reached new heights,” another person commented on X, sharing a clip of the incident.

“This is what sport does, unite people and give them so much to cheer about and spread joy,” Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman, a retired Indian cricketer, noted on X, sharing several pictures of the victory parade.

Meanwhile, the cricket champions have landed in controversy after media reports claimed that the Air India aircraft used to transport the team from Barbados was scheduled for another flight – from the US to India.

News agency PTI, citing an unnamed official, claimed the regulatory body – the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) – sought a report from Air India over the incident. The chartered flight was reportedly arranged by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the apex body for the sport in India.

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