'Maa Tujhe Salaam': Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya singing Vande Mataram post T20 World Cup win leaves fans teary-eyed
The sweet victory lap for Team India at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium after the T20 World Cup win has captured the internet's imagination for all the right reasons
Though Hurricane Beryl may have stalled Team India's much-awaited return to their home turf, the world champions finally made their way back from Barbados on July 4. The team first arrived in Delhi to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi following which they headed to Mumbai. A packed Wankhede stadium welcomed the victors following their jam-packed ride through Marine Drive. The video enjoying the spotlight is of an elated Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli in the forefront belting out an impassioned version of AR Rahman's Vande Mataram. The exhilaration on their faces — Virat for having been a part of two World Cup victories before his partial retirement and Hardik for having redeemed himself after a particularly dismal IPL season — were mirrored in their voices as they echoed the iconic song playing through the stadium. The internet simply cannot get enough of this heartening visual.
The video is enough to induce goosebumps, even for non-cricket lovers let alone die hard fans of Kohli, Sharma, Bumrah and others. "Virat Kohli doing Victory lap on 'Maa tujhe salaam' . God knows how much i prayed for times like this😭❤", read one X comment while another expressed, "really emotional to see an anthem created 27 years ago continues to ️️🔥 ️🔥 the nation #maatujhesalaam #vandemaataram". More comments to the same tune read: "This will give goosebumps to any Indian.. Maa Tujhe salaam.. Vande mataram Jai hind ", "Goosebumps Guaranteed !! 😍😍 There are many patriotic songs but after listening to 'Maa Tujhe Salaam' words fall short to express the feelings.❤️And what an amazing vibe these brilliant players of Team India have given with Wankhede Crowd #TeamIndiaVictoryParade", "Real Happiness 🤩" and "Tears, Tears and More Tears…Maa Tujhe Salaam".
While a World Cup win in itself is a mammoth achievement, the T20 World Cup victory on June 30 meant a whole lot more for India on multiple levels. The win was Team India's first ICC victory in 11 years. It also marked the first international title win after a period of 13 years. Additionally, the last time India won a championship in T20 was 17 years ago in 2007.