The Indian Cricket Team, 2024 T20's World Cup Champions, are finally home. Led by captain Rohit Sharma, the team defeated South Africa by 7 runs in the nail-biting final. This marked India's second T20 World Cup title, with their previous win coming in 2007 in South Africa. The Men In Blue, on Thursday, checked into the 5-star hotel ITC Maurya in Chanakyapuri, Delhi. The hotel has pulled out all the stops to make them feel at home, with a delicious spread featuring their favourite breakfast dishes and a stunning cake designed in the colours of the Team India jersey, complete with a chocolate T20 trophy on top.
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Chef Shivneet Pahoja of ITC Maurya, told news agency ANI that “the cake is in the colour of the Team's jersey.”
He added, “Its highlight is this trophy, it may look like an actual trophy but this is made out of chocolate. This is our welcome to the winning team. We have arranged the breakfast in the special venue and we will offer them a special breakfast.”
Chef Pahoja revealed that the breakfast spread will have the best of Indian cuisine, catering to the team's cravings after their long tour, including the players' favourites like chole bhature and healthy options made with millets. Do we need to say how much Virat Kohli loves chole bhature? Can there be a better welcome? We think not.
Chef Pahoja said that the cake was conceptualised the day the team won the coveted trophy for India, and the cooking team "spent the whole night" preparing the three-tier cake. "Chefs, pastry chefs, and all the chefs were working all night, and the cake was ready by 5-5:30 in the morning," he said.
The chef also mentioned that there were some complimentary treats in the players' hotel rooms as well, acknowledging their hard work. "We have included some very nice chocolates, as they may not have had chocolates for a long time and might want a little treat for themselves," Chef Pahoja was quoted as saying.
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Earlier today, India received a grand welcome at Delhi airport, with heavy security in place. Fans cheered and held up posters of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid to welcome the winning team home.