3 best victory parades in cricket
A victory parade takes place when a team wins a championship for the country and then returns home with the title. Cricket fans must have seen these parades, like the one the Indian team did in 2007 after winning the inaugural T20 World Cup, which is still fresh in everybody’s minds.
A victory parade is done in an open bus, with a huge number of people moving through a public place to celebrate the occasion. Team India have given fans yet another chance to join them for such a celebration.
The Men in Blue won the 2024 T20 World Cup under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. India defeated South Africa by seven runs in a thriller of a finale to end their ICC trophy drought of 11 years.
Now, the Men in Blue have landed in India, and the preparations for the victory parade are in full flow. Team India are on their way to Mumbai after meeting PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The victory parade will commence at 5 p.m. IST on July 4 in Mumbai.
As fans are set to witness yet another iconic moment in Indian cricket, in this article, we will look at the three best victory parades in cricket.
#3 Ticker-tape parade by the Australian Cricket Team after winning the 1999 World Cup
Australia defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the final of the 1999 World Cup in London to win their second World Cup trophy. Chasing a target of 133, the Men in Yellow faced no issues as they won the game with 179 balls remaining.
After winning the 1999 World Cup, Australian cricket players were given a ticker tape parade through Melbourne, with 100,000 fans lining the streets to celebrate. A week later, the Men in Yellow gathered in Sydney's central business district for a lunchtime parade to celebrate their World Cup victory.
Meanwhile, this was just the start for the great Australian team, which then went on to win the next two ODI World Cups as well.
#2 Amazing scenes after England won the 2005 Ashes
England created history by winning the five-match Test series 2-1 in 2005. This was England's first Test series win against Australia since 1987. To celebrate this feat, the English team did a victory parade at Trafalgar Square in London.
Thousands of England flags were waving as the buses passed through a massive crowd of people who were having the time of their lives. Kevin Pietersen, the series' top scorer, was spotted recording the atmosphere and spraying champagne around the streets.
"These are amazing scenes and it's fantastic what is happening to English cricket. I'm taking it all in and this is great for the game of cricket,” Kevin Pietersen said while talking with BBC Sport.
#1 India created history by winning the inaugural T20 World Cup
Team India created history when they won the inaugural T20 World Cup by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in a thriller of a finale. MS Dhoni’s team held their nerves and won the game by five runs.
Following the victory, the Men in Blue came back to India from South Africa and held an open-bus parade in Mumbai. Thousands of Indians gathered on the streets of Mumbai to see their favorites stars as India scripted history by winning their first World Cup since 1983.
Now, after winning their second T20 World Cup, Team India are set to hold another victory parade in Mumbai on July 4.