New Delhi, Apr 1 : A known cricket buff, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar fasted for Team India during the high voltage World Cup semifinal against arch rivals Pakistan and is now praying for her favourite Sachin Tendulkar to score his 100th century in tomorrow's finals.The 81-year-old, who says that the master blaster is like her son, did not eat or drink during the nine-hour nail-biter.
"I had watched the whole match and I was very tense.Everyone in my family follows some kind of superstition when India is playing. I, Meena and Usha did not eat or drink anything during the semifinal match.
I was constantly praying for the victory and we had our dinner after India won," Lata told PTI in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.
"I am eager to see India winning the cup and if Sachin scores his 100th century on his home ground in the final, it will be icing on the cake. I will pray for that,"said Lata.
When asked about the possibility of watching the final at Wankhede stadium, she replied in the negative. An avid cricket fan, Lata had enjoyed the 1983 World Cup final from the galleries at Lords."I don't go to stadiums anymore. I will watch the match at home and after that I leave for Pune where I have to attend an award ceremony," she said.She also declined to predict the outcome of the much awaited match .
"Both the teams are equally good. Cricket is a very unpredictable game and you can't guess anything about the outcome. I thought Yuvraj will play a big knock in the semifinal but he got out for a duck. So I don't like to predict anything," she said.
Recalling the 1983 World Cup final , Lata said that she was in London at that time for a concert and was desperate to watch the final after Kapil's boys won the semi-final against England.
"I had invited Kapil Dev and his team for dinner before the match to my hotel. I wished them best of luck and after that our team created history," she said.
"After winning the trophy, Kapil Dev invited me for a dinner with the Indian team in London. I went there and congratulated the players," she added.
On her return to India, Lata agreed to stage a concert without charging a penny to raise money for the victorious team and all the players sang with her in the New Delhi concert. PTI
