It was an emotional moment when Rohit Sharma walked up to the president’s box at the Wankhede Stadium to meet his parents, with his mother having sipped her doctor’s appointment, just to be present at the special moment.
Being surrounded by whole crowd of selfie-hunters, Rohit had to request for some privacy as he was meeting his parents after a long time.
For his mother, Poornima, it was a special moment not to be seen again. The family had waited for this day and she revealed how she skipped her visit to the doctor, just so she could come and see her son on the big stage.
“I have never thought I would see this day. Before going to the World Cup, he had come to meet us and said that he wanted to quit T20Is after this. I just said try to win. I was not feeling well today and had a doctor’s appointment, but I still came as I wanted to see this day.” Poornima said.
“I can’t express my happiness. Look at the cheering. I have never experienced this kind of atmosphere. The amount of love he is getting is because of his hard work and dedication. I’m the happiest mother today,” she added.
As Sharma took a lap of honor around Wankhede stadium with the team, the President’s box was filled with nostalgia. Former MCA secretary, PV Shetty, had invited every resident of the Sportsline Society where Rohit Grew up in his previous years.
“We came here as sir (PV Shetty) said we all should go. He took all of us. I was young when I saw Rohit winning the 2007 (ICC World T20) title but this one is special. The huge cheer he got shows how much Mumbai loves him,” his brother Vishal said.
It’s been long since Sharma had the bus ride after returning from the 2007 edition in South Africa, but for the Sportsline residents, Rohit Sharma is the same as he was.
Poornima was in seventh sky as many people came to know about her identity, and a few even asked for photos with her.
“What more can I ask now! This day won’t come again in life. As he was taking the lap of honour, it was an emotional moment as he has been playing for a day like this,” she added.
The long flight from Barbados, followed by the hectic schedule since they landed, had left the players fatigued. But the energy and passion of the crowd very much impressed Rohit as chants of “Mumbaicha Raja? Rohit Sharma” (Who is the King of Mumbai/ Rohit Sharma) kept echoing around the city of Mumbai.
“The huge turnout of fans to welcome us shows they were as desperate for this T20 World Cup title as we were,” he said at the stadium. “The win has brought smiles on the faces of crores of people. This is a special team and this trophy belongs to the nation.”
