India cricketers feted in victory parade in Mumbai after winning Twenty20 World Cup

NEW DELHI (AP) — Tens of thousands of jubilant fans poured onto Mumbai’s Marine Drive to cheer India's new world cricket champions when they returned home on Thursday.

India beat South Africa in a tight finish in the Twenty20 World Cup final last weekend in Barbados for their first world cricket title in 13 years.

Skipper Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya held the coveted trophy in an open bus convoy to Wankhede stadium, where they were to participate in celebrations organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Fans danced, waved the India flag, and flashed smartphone lights after waiting for hours to glimpse Sharma, Virat Kohli and the other cricket stars.

The victorious squad landed in New Delhi early Thursday on a charter flight from Barbados. They met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence and later left for Mumbai.

Hundreds of supporters were gathered at New Delhi International Airport, many of them chanting “India, India” as the players came out and boarded a bus.

There were hundreds more waiting at the hotel to continue the celebrations, which started on Saturday as soon as the final was won. Some of the players danced to drum beats when they reached their hotel.

The team’s return from the Caribbean was delayed because of a shutdown in Barbados forced by Hurricane Beryl.

"It's a lifetime experience," cricket official Arun Dhumal said.

The T20 triumph was India's first World Cup title since 2011, when it won the 50-over version.

The BCCI has announced a cash bonus of 1.25 billion rupees ($15 million) for the winning squad.

Soon after winning the title, Sharma, Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T20 internationals.

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India's cricket players dance during a ceremony at Wankhede Stadium, Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Mumbai, India, celebrating their ICC Men's Twenty20 World Cup win. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Crowd waits for team India cricket team arrival near Wankhede Stadium at Marin drive in Mumbai, India, Thursday, July 4, 2024.(AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Crowds surround a double-decker bus as the India cricket team takes part in a parade celebrating their T20 Cricket World Cup win, Thursday, July 4, 2024, near Wankhede Stadium along Marin Drive in Mumbai, India. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Crowds surround a double-decker bus as the India cricket team takes part in a parade celebrating their T20 Cricket World Cup win, Thursday, July 4, 2024, near Wankhede Stadium along Marin Drive in Mumbai, India. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

India's cricket team takes a victory lap during a ceremony at Wankhede Stadium, Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Mumbai, India, after winning the ICC Men's Twenty20 World Cup. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Crowds surround a double-decker bus as the India cricket team takes part in a parade celebrating their T20 Cricket World Cup win, Thursday, July 4, 2024, near Wankhede Stadium along Marin Drive in Mumbai, India. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Crowds surround a double-decker bus as the India cricket team takes part in a parade celebrating their T20 Cricket World Cup win, Thursday, July 4, 2024, near Wankhede Stadium along Marin Drive in Mumbai, India. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

In this images shared on X by the official page of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Modi holds the Twenty20 World Cup trophy as he poses with the Indian cricket team at his residence in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Jubilant India cricketers received a rousing welcome home Thursday after winning the Twenty20 World Cup final in Barbados. (Narendra Modi on X via AP)

India's Virat Kohli carries the winners' trophy as he celebrates after India won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match against South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

India's captain Rohit Sharma gestures playfully as he walks to collect the winners' after India won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match against South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Cricket fans celebrate in Lucknow, capital of northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India, Sunday, June 30, 2024, after India defeated South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup final match in Barbados. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

India's players celebrate with the winners' trophy after winning against South Africa in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

An fan of India cheers prior to ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

India's Virat Kohli greets fans as he arrives at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Indian cricket team returned Thursday after winning the T20 Cricket World Cup hosted by the United States and the West Indies. (AP Photo)

India's Suryakumar Yadav greets fans as he arrives at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Indian cricket team returned Thursday after winning the T20 Cricket World Cup hosted by the United States and the West Indies. (AP Photo)

India's captain Rohit Sharma is surrounded by officials as he lifts the winners' trophy after arriving at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Indian cricket team returned Thursday after winning the T20 Cricket World Cup hosted by the United States and the West Indies. (AP Photo)

Fans gather outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport to get a glimpse of the Indian cricket players before they returned Thursday after winning the T20 Cricket World Cup, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

HOUSTON (AP) — Texas officials Saturday were urging coastal residents to brace for a potential hit by Beryl as the storm is expected to regain hurricane strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“We’re expecting the storm to make landfall somewhere on the Texas coast sometime Monday, if the current forecast is correct,” said Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “Should that happen, it’ll most likely be a category one hurricane.”

The earliest storm to develop into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, Beryl caused at least 11 deaths as it passed through the Caribbean islands earlier in the week. It then battered Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane, toppling trees but causing no injuries or deaths before weakening to a tropical storm as it moved across the Yucatan Peninsula.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicts that Beryl will intensify before making landfall, prompting expanded hurricane and storm surge watches. Beven said a hurricane warning is expected to be issued Sunday.

The storm will bring a dangerous storm surge — flooding portions of the Texas coast — along with high winds and heavy rains in areas, he said.

“There is an increasing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge along portions of the lower and middle Texas coast late Sunday into Monday,” the center said in an advisory, also warning that flash and urban flooding is likely in the eastern part of the state through the middle of next week.

Texas officials warned the state's entire coastline to brace for possible flooding, heavy rain and wind as they wait for a more defined path of the storm. The hurricane center has issued hurricane and storm surge watches for the Texas coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande north to San Luis Pass, less than 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Houston.

On Saturday, Beryl was about 415 miles (670 kilometers) southeast of Corpus Christi and had top sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. It was moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is traveling in Taiwan, issued a pre-emptive disaster declaration for 40 counties.

Some Texas coastal cities called for voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas prone to flooding, banned beach camping and urged tourists traveling on the July 4 holiday weekend to move recreational vehicles from coastal parks.

Mitch Thames, a spokesman for Matagorda County, said Saturday that officials issued a voluntary evacuation request for the coastal areas of the county about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Houston to inform the large number of visitors in the area for the holiday weekend.

“You always plan for the worst and hope for the best. I certainly don’t want to ruin the holiday weekend for our visitors. But at the same time, our No. 1 goal is the health and safety of all our visitors and of course our residents. I’m not so much worried about our residents. Those folks that live down there, they’re used to this, they get it,” Thames said.

In Corpus Christi, officials asked visitors to cut their trips short and return home early if possible. Officials asked residents to secure their homes by boarding up windows if necessary and using sandbags to guard against possible flooding.

“We’re taking the storm very serious and we’re asking the community to take the storm very serious as well,” Corpus Christi Fire Chief Brandon Wade said during a Friday evening news conference.

Beryl already spread destruction in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados this week. Three people have been reported dead in Grenada, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela and two in Jamaica, officials said.

Mexican authorities had moved some tourists and residents out of low-lying areas around the Yucatan Peninsula before landfall, but tens of thousands remained to tough out the strong winds and storm surge. Much of the area around Tulum is just a few yards (meters) above sea level.

The city was plunged into darkness when the storm knocked out power as it came ashore. Screeching winds set off car alarms across the town. Wind and rain continued to whip the seaside city and surrounding areas Friday morning. Army brigades roved the streets of the tourist city, clearing fallen trees and power lines. No deaths or injuries have been reported.

After seeing Beryl tear through the Caribbean, 37-year-old Lucía Nagera Balcaza was among those who stocked up on food and hid away in their homes.

“Thank god, we woke up this morning and everything was all right,” she said. “The streets are a disaster, but we’re out here cleaning up.”

Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writer Martín Silva in Tulum, Mexico, contributed to this report.

A man practices acrobatics with a pole on the beach in the aftermath by Hurricane Beryl in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Soldiers collect branches felled by Hurricane Beryl, in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

A motorcyclist rides throw a street flooded by heavy rains from Hurricane Beryl, in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

A man walks on the beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

A man and his dog stand on the shore of a beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 4:16 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 5, 2024, and provided by NOAA, shows Hurricane Beryl over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Texas officials urged coastal residents to prepare as the storm moves toward the Gulf of Mexico. (NOAA via AP)

People stand on a rocky outcrop in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl in Tulum, Mexico, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)