ephemeral

ghar, sweet ghar

4th july, 2024.

7:33 pm.

after the meeting with prime minister delhi, the indian cricket team was buzzing with excitement for the grand victory parade planned in mumbai. kasturie quickly clicked a selfie of shubman, virat, rohit, hardik and her along with the trophy and posted it on her story with the caption 'mumbai, yetoy amhi, thodyach velat'. however, their flight was delayed by two hours, adding a slight hitch to the meticulously planned event. despite this, the team's spirits were high as they finally boarded the flight, heading towards a historic celebration.
(mumbai, aa rhe hai hum, thodi hi der mein.)

as the plane touched down at mumbai airport, it was greeted with a spectacular water salute, symbolizing the nation's pride in their cricketing heroes. the players disembarked to a rousing reception, with thousands of fans cheering from the airport's periphery. the atmosphere was electric, a prelude to the grand celebrations awaiting them.

"acha hardik sun, yeh trophy tu leke bahar jaa. dekhne de inko. bohot kuch bola na yeh sabne terko pichle kuch mahino mein. make them regret. grand entry maar." rohit said and handed the trophy to hardik.

hardik was a bit sad about how he was treated but smiled and took the trophy in his hand and all of them wore their sunglasses. he smirked and said. "let's show them what we're made of."

"yeh baat hardik dada, woohoo." kasturie cheered and jumped.

"aaram se baba itna mat kud, kuch hafto mein zimbabwe jaana hai haath pair mat tod lena ab." rohit scolded her playfully.

"arre ha woh bhi hai, main bhool hi gyi, hehe." she said sheepishly.

"hehe kya hehe?" rohit said.

"kal squad announce hoga, mujhe toh lagta hai tu hi captain banegi." shubman said looking at kasturie.

"i don't think so, yeh bcci walo ka dimaag hamesha ulta hi chalta hai." she shrugged.

"ha woh toh hai." rohit and hardik said at the same time.

"i just hope squad mein ishan bhi ho bas aur kuch nhi chahiye." shubman said.

"ha yaar. o pagal log ab yeh kya bol rhe hai hum, let's go bahar people are waiting for us. already late ho gya hai." kasturie held shubman and rohit's hand and pulled them towards the exit of the airport. "hardik dada tu last mein grand entry lena." she said while going out.

"yaar, mumbai waale toh alag hi level pe hain," shubman exclaimed, looking out at the sea of blue-clad fans.

"woah." kasturie said softly, her eyes shining brightly.

rohit, standing beside her, nodded, "this is going to be mad."

the team quickly moved to the open-top bus waiting for them. the bus was decked out with vibrant decorations, and the trophy took center stage.

the victory parade commenced from nariman point, the heart of mumbai's business district. as the bus started its slow journey down marine drive, the players were met with deafening cheers and applause. the fans lined the iconic promenade, waving flags, holding up posters, and chanting the names of their favorite cricketers.

"mumbai cha raja rohit sharma!" the crowd roared, their voices echoing along the coastline.

rohit, standing at the front of the bus, lifted the trophy high, eliciting an even louder cheer. beside him, virat and hardik waved to the fans, their faces beaming with pride. on the other hand, kasturie was so excited that she was roaming and jumping all around the bus with the indian flag on her shoulders, waving at people below. shubman just followed her around trying to calm her down.