IANS

NEW DELHI, Sep 25: 'Ranchi ne kiya Karachi fatah' (Ranchi conquers Karachi) screamed the banner headline in the Ranchi edition of Hindi daily Hindustan on Tuesday morning, celebrating Team India's five run win over Pakistan in the final of the Twenty20 World Championships in Johannesburg.

Not to be left behind, the other Hindi newspaper from Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's hometown, Prabhat Khabar, announced: 'Ho gayee anhonee, chhaa gaya Dhoni' (Impossible has happened, Dhoni has prevailed).

The cacophony in the national capital was led by the English daily Hindustan Times, which carried full-page photographs of the celebrating Indian players on the first two pages, with the heading 'Top of the World'. Their sister publication HT next appeared with a more sedate 'Incredible India' lead headline.

Chandigarh-based The Tribune was perhaps the most low key of the Tuesday morning papers with Dhoni's celebrating photo headlined 'Yes , but just', while the Delhi edition of The Hindu's front page banner read a sedate 'India wins World Twenty20 thriller'.

Cricket-mad Mumbai's English daily The Times of India went to town with 'We are the world' and 'Pakistunned'. Not to be left behind in the cricket frenzy enveloping the country, its sister publication Economic Times published came up with a front-page banner 'Superpower: India 2020'.

As expected, television channels went ballistic with their coverage late into Monday night. Almost every TV new channel had their in-studio experts eulogising the team and its members, showering praise on Dhoni's inspiring leadership and the cool head on his much photographed shoulders.

'Young blood in a billion hearts' by Indian Express perhaps sums up the mood in the country, which celebrates a major cricket triumph after more than two decades, following the 1983 World Cup and the 1995 World Championships.