Team India manager Ranjib Biswal on his return to Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, April 6: The man who “managed” MSD’s World Cup winning side hit the home turf to a hero’s welcome on Wednesday.

As the manager of the victorious Indian team, Ranjib Biswal, stepped out of the airport, the drumbeats grew louder and confetti rained all around.

Hundreds of youngsters, who had been waiting with banners and bouquets in their hands, went berserk at the sight of him. Police fought hard to keep the surging fans at bay.

As everyone tried to garland the former cricketer, Biswal had a hard time getting into his black sedan as fans jostled to shake hands with him. Many followed his car on their motorbikes, and as the procession wound its way through the main thoroughfares of the city, people standing on the roadside greeted the “lucky” manager of the Indian team.

“My friends and I rushed here as soon as our classes got over. Team India has made us so proud and Ranjib Biswal is part of that historic victory. We had to be here to welcome him,” said Soumya Sarthak, an engineering student, as he sped away on his two-wheeler following Ranjib’s car.

Along the route, there were any number of banners with pictures of Biswal and Dhoni with the World Cup trophy emblazoned on them.

The entrance to Ranjib’s house in Kharavela Nagar was adorned with flowers and leaves shaped like the tricolour.

Outside his house, young men danced to the beats of drums as Biswal got out of his car.

With unrelenting lensmen and reporters still around, Biswal obliged them with comments on his feelings of the winning moment and scenes inside the Indian dressing room following the historic triumph.

“I have no words to describe how I feel. As Dhoni hit the winning six, I remember I shouted ‘We’ve done it’. Then emotions took over,” said Biswal, who resigned from his post as manager after the victory.

He expressed confidence that some members of the World Cup winning team would make it to Barabati in Cuttack where the trophy would also be put up for display.

“We can work out things once the IPL gets over. But the World Cup will definitely come to town,” he added.

Biswal, who heads the Orissa Cricket Association (OCA), asserted that he would now focus on improving the standards of the game in the state.

“I have neglected the OCA for about a year now. We will provide necessary support to the budding cricketers and it is up to them to take advantage of this. We will be extremely happy and proud if someone from Orissa could represent the country in the next World Cup,” said Biswal.