Harmanpreet-led World Cup-winning Team India have arrived in New Delhi for their meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 05 at his residence. The Women in Blue won their first-ever ICC silverware, defeating South Africa in the title decider by 53 runs at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The Indian squad, along with the head coach Amol Muzumdar, got a warm reception at the Mumbai airport, where a sizeable crowd came to see them off. However, at the General Aviation Terminal (GA), a specialised dedicated facility at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, there was only a posse of mediapersons present, with the general public not allowed due to security protocol. Star Air, a regional airline, operated a special charter flight (S5-8328) to carry the team to Delhi from Mumbai.
After entering the hotel, Team India was welcomed with cold pyros with a petal shower, and there was an all-women dhol group from Nashik to greet the team. There was Tilak and garlanding by specially abled persons from the Blind association. The team will also cut the cake.
After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Team India will return to their home, and only Shafali Verma will be back to lead the North Zone women's team in the Inter-Zonal T20 meet, which will be in Nagaland for the event.
PM Modi will felicitate the triumphant Indian team during the meeting. The ceremony, to be held at the prime minister's official residence, will celebrate the team's remarkable campaign under captain Harmanpreet.
The triumph was a watershed moment for Indian women's cricket as years of toil and near-misses culminated in an evening of redemption and history, with the team getting the better of the formidable South Africans in the final to become only the fourth side to lift the ODI title.