President felicitates Team India

Mumbai: A select group of barely 500 had a close encounter at the Raj Bhavan here Sunday evening with Team India members who bagged the cricket World Cup.

Captain M.S. Dhoni and all his teammates were wooed by one and all at the gathering when President Pratibha Patil felicitated them and congratulated them individually.

The atmosphere at the Raj Bhavan lawns, with a gentle breeze blowing from the Arabian Sea, was informal as the team members, VVIPs and mediapersons mingled freely.

The players first greeted the president as she arrived. After the felicitations, they were virtually let loose on the excited crowd comprising top political leaders, industrialists, 

The gathering took full advantage of the opportunity, congratulating the team members in groups or individually, posing for pictures with them. The players signed autographs and were forced to give the same bytes umpteen times to different TV channels.

Later, when Dhoni and Sehwag brought a sparkling replica of the World Cup to the lawns, the frenzied crowds virtually chased them.

Many requested the team members to pose with the replica, believing it to be the original trophy. Dhoni and his colleagues happily obliged.

The trophy was also handed over briefly to the Raj Bhavan's uniformed staff, who also posed with the trophy and a couple of team members with them.

After the gruelling days of tension over the past six weeks, the Indian team appeared absolutely relaxed, cheerful and co-operative with the people and their family members.

Rubbing shoulders with top industrialists like Mukesh Ambani, Vijaypat Singhania, R.P.Goenka, Kumaramangalam Birla, Adi Godrej and their family members, the players also posed for photographs with the security personnel on duty and mediapersons, some whom had come with their families, endearing themselves to all

Contrary to his aggressive image, Harbhajan Singh smiled with his food plate in hand for an impatient fan, posed for a photograph and signed an autograph.

Veerendra Sehwag, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel and other team members also cheerfully co-operated with all the small demands of the gathering, signing autographs on tissue papers, pocket diaries and on cricket bats some had carried inside.




Sachin Tendulkar and M S Dhoni at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai


Anjali Tendulkar (R) wife of Sachin Tendulkar with Sakshi (C) wife of Indian Team Captain M S Dhoni and Gary Kirstens wife at a reception hosted by the President Pratibha Patil to honour the cricket team for their World Cup victory at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai




Anjali Tendulkar (L), wife of Sachin Tendulkar, Nita Ambani (C), wife of Mukesh Ambani and Sakshi (R), wife of Team Indian captain M S Dhoni along with other dignitaries during a reception hosted by President Pratibha Patil for Indian team members, at Rajbhavan in Mumbai

Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni with his wife Sakshi Singh Rawat during a tea party hosted by the President Pratibha Patil to honour the world Cup winning team at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai