Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and (right) Raghab Chattopadhyay

De ghumake did not hit the airwaves to a rousing reception — rather, many complained the World Cup anthem composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy lacked the punch to pull Team India through to victory.

But the perception changed, keeping pace with the change in the fortunes of the Men in Blue.

“While the song was doing the rounds on YouTube, many felt that it was not inspirational enough. But some like adman Piyush Pandey told us ‘Wait and see, it will become huge’. And yes, it did turn out that way!” said Ehsaan Noorani of the composer trio, happy that their creation had finally emerged as big a hit as Dhoni’s Devils.

The Hindi version, written by Manoj Yadav and sung by Shankar Mahadevan, “was not meant to be inspirational in the first place,” said Ehsaan.

“It was meant to capture the vibe and spirit of the game. A fun song that people could dance to. Even the words De ghumake is a very street term, about playing in the gullys or in the fields. That’s why the melody lines were kept simple, so people could hum it.”

The music makers got a pat on their back from none other than MSD after they played the song at the opening ceremony in Dhaka. “Dhoni came and told us it was a very nice song.”

And how did the captain’s countless fans react after Saturday’s sporting history? “I don’t know why I started getting congratulatory messages on my phone and my Facebook wall after India won! Some said it was the song that changed the karma of the game while others suggested we record another number that goes Diya ghumake! (laughs) It feels brilliant!” gushed Ehsaan.

The blues guitarist feels De ghumake has become such a hit “probably because two of the versions are in Hindi and Bengali.... Plus it was played every time India was winning!”

A third version of the song is in Sinhalese.

The Bengali version, Maar Ghuriye, penned by Sheikh Rana of Bangladesh, was sung by Raghab Chattopadhyay.

“I was in Dubai for a show when I received a call from Shankar (Mahadevan) last December, asking me if I’d be interested in singing the Bengali version of the Cup anthem. I readily agreed,” recalled Raghab, who has described Maar Ghuriye as a “milestone” in his career. “I recorded the song in my rough voice on the track that they had sent and then emailed them my final voice files, which they later mixed in their Mumbai studio Purple Haze.”