His father, Manoj Srivastava, was at the spot to see his son bat. But back home, mother Rosy and younger sister Kopal had been glued to the television — hoping and praying.

The stopping of the match midway due to rain was sheer agony. As the Indian team gained ground, friends and relatives flocked in and “laddoos” did the rounds. And the match headed to a close - the media showed up. Tanmay’s cousins got going with the crackers and bhangra beats completed the festive air.

Rosy Srivastava said: “We had being praying hard for an Indian victory. I'm happy that Tanmay played well.

Today, I was remembering the time when he was small. He used a plastic bat and I used to bowl with lollipops.”

“My brother has been very consistent in his performances,” said Kopal. “I’m sure he will always do the country proud. I am waiting for him and my father to return so we can celebrate together.”

In Kuala Lumpur, the proud father sounded ecstatic. “I had made it a point to be here to give moral support to Tanmay,” said Manoj Srivastava, who had reached there a day earlier. “I am happy that my mission has been accomplished.”

And what does the champ think of his victory?

Tanmay said the Indians had a psychological advantage against South Africa, having defeated them just a month ago.

“Though we scored only 159 runs, we knew if we got two or three early breakthroughs, the match would be ours," he told The Indian Express. And that was exactly what happened, with the South Africa scorecard reading 22 for four at one stage.

Asked about India’s not so impressive batting in the finals, Tanmay said: “It is a matter of chance that there were not good partnerships. But the wicket was tough and the pace kept varying. Considering everything, I think the target was not so bad.”