145;When expectation is less, determination is high146;

However, the big morning had its grey moments, and not just because of the rains: the BCCI bigwigs and Maharashtra8217;s top politicians occupied the front row on the dais, leaving the cricketers behind; the surging crowd broke through the barricades in one section of the stadium as the players were taking a victory lap; and the six-hour open-top bus ride had Mumbai grinding to a halt.

But then, as Dhoni stepped up to speak at Wankhede, everything was drowned in the euphoria of India8217;s second big moment on the world cricket stage in 24 years.

8220;Guys from small towns are generally mentally and physically tougher than those coming from the metros. The infrastructure and facilities are not there and so players from smaller towns have to work harder,8221; he said to loud cheers.

8220;But whether it8217;s the small-town guys or those from the metros, everyone wants to perform at the international stage and they have been successful.8221;

Revealing the secret of his captaincy, the 26-year-old said, 8220;I think a little nervousness at this level is justified but the way all 15 players responded, I hardly had a reason to worry. Whoever I tossed the ball to got me wickets, whoever walked out to bat scored the runs. So pressure was less on me.8221;

Adding that the lack of much expectation had helped the team, Dhoni said, 8220;We were not favourites, nobody expected us to reach the knock-out stage. And whenever the expectation is less, the determination is high.8221;

On the tumultuous reception here, the skipper said, 8220;We were overwhelmed after the triumph. We could feel it was a great occasion but it was only after landing here that we realised how great it actually is8230; We are told that Mumbai is a city which moved fast. I and my boys have brought the entire city to a standstill today.8221;

Reliving that final catch by Sreesanth in the last over to get rid of Misbah-ul-Haq, with Pakistan just five runs short, Dhoni said, 8220;When Misbah played that shot, my initial fear was that it might land just behind Sreesanth. So I was not looking at Sreesanth but on his hands.8221;

Earlier, after landing in Mumbai this morning, the Indian team and the support staff spend some time at the airport getting ready for what was to be a historic ride through Mumbai. On an open-top bus, the team waved, danced and grinned their way through a 30-km ride, with thousands of fans lining up on either side, braving the rain.

Meanwhile, at Wankhede, a crowd of 15,000 was growing restless, even as Express columnist and TV commentator Harsha Bhogle 8212; master of ceremonies 8212; struggled to keep them calm.

Even when the stars arrived, and took their seats on the dais, the crowd surged, struggling to catch a glimpse of them. That was when Pawar 8212; Union Minister and an experienced administrator 8212; came to the rescue. He explained to Bhogle what needed to be done and immediately raised his hand and waved in the way umpires would do to signal a 8216;free hit8217;8212;of course, what Pawar wanted was to let the crowd know that players would be taking a victory lap.

Finally, after all the speeches, Dhoni and his team made their way to the field holding huge flags and were greeted with thunderous applause.

As the team8217;s cricket manager Lalchand Rajput said, 8220;What these cricketers experienced today is something that will remain a memory for a lifetime.8221;