Published: Jun 24, 2013, 10:13 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 24, 2013, 10:13 PM (IST)
India beat England by five runs to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 © Getty Images
Birmingham: Jun 24, 2013
Indian players let their hair down after their ICC Champions Trophy 2013 triumph as the young brigade partied through the Sunday till wee hours of Monday morning.
Champagne overflowed and the players danced to the latest Hindi and Punjabi pop numbers sooner than they returned to their hotel on Birmingham’s upmarket Broad Street late in the evening.
The final, reduced to just 20 overs a side, had started six hours late after rain ruined most of the day game. Several fans followed the team bus to catch a glimpse of the star players as security guards kept them at safe distance.
Sources said the organisers were worried after British Tamils had protested during the match between India and Sri Lanka in Cardiff last week.
The Indian team management lifted its “curfew” hours and let the players enjoy themselves to their fullest. Virat Kohli led the celebrations as the rest of the Indian young brigade joined in. The party went on till the wee hours of Monday.
Team manager Ranjib Biswal said:”We let the boys have some fun. We had generally kept ourselves away from public eye and concentrated on the cricket, but Sunday night belonged to the boys. They won a terrific final and deserved to let their hair down.”
The Indian team will be travelling to the West Indies on Wednesday for the tri-series.
“There is no time pressure on the boys now. They will relax till they go to London to catch their flight,” said Biswal.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni let the young players have some “extra fun.”But no girlfriends were allowed,” a team source informed.
