WATCH | Women in Blue unveil team song 'Rahega sab se upar, hamara Tiranga'

Navi Mumbai: Team songs have long been a part of Australian men's cricket team culture and after any major victories be it Ashes or World Cup, the Steve Waughs, Ricky Pontings and Steven Smiths have always made it a point to sing "Under the Southern Cross".

Indian cricket never had Team Anthem as such and "Chak De India" and "Suno Ghaur se Duniya waalo" blaring from those bazooka music systems at the stadiums across the globe after nearly two decades has become a bit jarring, bordering on monotonous after being played a zillion times.

So when the sprightly Jemimah Rodrigues and the victorious World Cup winning team along with coaches and support staff gathered to form a huddle around the 22-yard strip, there was 'Victory Anthem' that was sung, it sounded refreshing.

"Rahega sab se upar, hamara Tiranga!… ham hai Team India, ham hai Team India!" (Our tri-colour would fly high) echoed deep into the triumphant night as the squad sung their hearts out.

They were in sync for the six hours spent on 22 yards and no one cared if they were in tune or not. Head coach and domestic stalwart Amol Muzumdar's voice was among the prominent ones singing the song that was heard from a distance.

"Saath mein chalenge, saath mein uthenge… ham hai Team India, saath me jeetenge," (We will walk together, we will rise together, we will win together, we are Team India) they sang boisterously after winning the first global trophy.

Long after their passionate fans, who revelled in celebrations on every occasion the Indian team did well, had left, the winning side emerged to sing the team song which was perhaps never heard before.

Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, who set the record for most runs for any Indian in a World Cup (434), held the trophy in both her hands as she walked out to the middle with her teammates and every single member of the coaching staff.

Diminutive Jemimah Rodrigues, whose incredible 127 not out against Australia here in the semifinal added another seminal moment in women’s cricket history, was a clear crowd favourite with her family in tow.

The crowd had kept breaking into chants of “Jemi… Jemi!” to keep on cheering for India’s pocket dynamite from Bandra, who has made DY Patil Stadium her bonafide home ground in recent years with the venue hosting plenty of India’s fixtures.

With families and friends around, there was hardly a moment to sit back and reflect on their achievements but Indian players did not miss out in mingling with their South African counterparts till they were at the venue, hugging and consoling them.

The venerable Marizanne Kapp’s eyes were obviously moist but Jemimah and Radha Yadav embraced her in bear hugs, while the tournament’s two best batters — Mandhana and South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt (a record 571 runs) — kept chatting for a long duration before they received their respective awards.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, whose legacy will be defined by being the first woman ever in more than half a century to lead India to a World Cup win, said she was "numb" before offering the members of the media the chance to hold that elusive trophy which hardly anyone did out of respect.

For sometime, the waiting media had more fan boys and fan girls the moment Harmanpreet asked for their phones to take selfies. There was a mini-stampede like situation.

While several players had their families around them, Smriti Mandhana was seen with her partner Palash Muchal and some time later, the two emerged from the team’s dressing room with the latter holding the Indian superstar's helmet.

As players began retreating to their hotel adjacent to the stadium, a cheerful Harmanpreet, finally free from her customary duties and routines including the mandatory media interaction, emerged in a totally different avatar.

With a portable music player in hand playing Punjabi hits and sporting sunglasses, Harmanpreet’s joy resembled to that of a little girl who finally had laid hands on an elusive toy.

A hoodie dangling from her head, the Indian skipper walked out from the dressing room to the beats of dhol in the team hotel surrounded by security personnel but also the indomitable young volunteers at DY Patil, mostly students, who carry heavy workloads of studying and managing events here which also help them gain experience.

As the players passed by, India's most visible fan of digital era, the tri-coloured Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, kept blowing the conk and waving the national flag.

The players are believed to have had some celebratory moments inside the confines of their team hotel, before retiring for whatever was left of the night, for a well-deserved rest.