It was a grand homecoming for Hardik Pandya in Vadodara on Monday as legion of fans welcomed the all-rounder, a key component in India's T20 World Cup triumph, to the city, waving the national flag and chanting his name.
Quite reminiscent of the open-top bus parade of the Indian team from Marine Drive into the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Pandya's fans arranged a grand show for him in Vadodara.
The overjoyed cricketer, wearing the Team India jersey, waved to his fans and acknowledged their cheer.
The open-top bus with the banner "Hardik Pandya - Pride of Vadodara" weaved its way past the streets filled with appreciative fans with huge posters dotting the entire stretch of the road.
Pandya emerged as one of the standout performers for India, taking 11 wickets and scoring 144 runs at a strike rate of 150 during the World Cup.
His best performance came in the final against South Africa where he broke the back of the opposition with excellent figures of 3/20, and his victims were Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, who was superbly caught by Suryakumar Yadav at long-on in the final over.
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