'We brought Mumbai to a standstill'

Mumbai: "We have heard it said that Mumbai never stops. Today we can claim that we brought Mumbai to a standstill." Mahendra Singh Dhoni couldn’t have phrased better the buoyant mood of the city.

The delirious Mumbai-kars, right from the Sahar International Airport to the Wankhede Stadium, braved both rains and chaos to partake in the Indian team’s felicitation ceremony. The whole of Wankhede was jammed to the rafters as the capacity crowd filled the air with ear-splitting screeches and bone-jarring bass.

Dhoni admitted though that the moment wouldn’t sink in: "I can’t describe it in words. All the 15 players (who soaked into the five-hour long ride) couldn’t understand was happening. It appears that Mumbai is more overjoyed that we are."

All throughout the Twenty20 World Championship we could see that Dhoni has a great sense of occasion. He invariably finds the right words, with a smart sprinkling of wit and repartee.

The Indian captain regaled the crowd as he re-lived Sreesanth’s catch that clinched the ICC World Twenty20: "I thought that the ball would drop behind Sreesanth but realised that it lacked pace. I wasn’t looking at him. I just waited for the moment when the ball would find Sree’s hands."

Does Sree make him little tense? "Little?" he chuckled, "at times he makes me too tense. But every team needs such characters."

By the way he did some soul stirring for the selectors as well. When asked how is it to motivate players from less-illustrious towns, who make it to the big grade, he said, "Cricketers from smaller towns are physically and mentally strong. They have to work harder as they struggle for the basic privileges like proper infrastructure. Whether it is the small-town cricketers or those hailing from the metros, everyone wants to perform at the international level."

The team goals were made easy to the simplest terms: take no pressure and think of only one match at a time. Dhoni said, "Nobody was talking about us and that helped. Whenever the expectation is less, the determination is high. We did not do well in the World Cup and so it was the perfect stage for the team."

He believes that as a captain he couldn’t have asked for more. "I asked for runs and got it. I needed wickets and my bowlers didn’t let me down. The fielding throughout the tournament was outstanding. It makes the captain’s job that much easier."

Each player won a purse of Rs 80 lakhs along with a shawl and a bouquet as a token of appreciation. The support staff got Rs 15 lakh each.

Sharad Pawar, President, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Vilasrao Deshmukh, the chief minister of Maharashtra, RR Patil, Deputy Chief Minister, were among the dignitaries who received the Indian team.

Commemorating the occasion, the Government of Maharashtra, on its part, presented a golden trophy to the Indian team.

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