Lata Mangeshkar on the 1983 World Cup win

An avid cricket fan, Lata Mangeshkar is amongst the few who watched the 1983 World Cup final from the galleries at Lord’s.

To thank her for a concert that had helped raise Rs 20 lakhs for Kapil’s Devils in 1983, the BCCI had invited the Bharat Ratna awardee for the silver jubilee celebration of the World Cup triumph to be held in Delhi on Sunday.

Sadly, the legendary singer had to turn down the invitation because of her ill health.

She, though, admits that she can neither forget the World Cup final nor her concert in the capital.

"I watched the final at Lord’s. I could not believe that we had won the World Cup defeating the two-times champion West Indies. Naturally, as an Indian, I felt very proud of the achievement, " Lata said in an interview.

"I had invited Kapil Dev and his team for a dinner before the match in my hotel. I wished them best of luck and after that our team created a history."

Lata ji was in London at that time for a concert and she was desperate to watch the final after Kapil's boys won the semi-final against England.

"After winning the trophy, Kapil Dev invited me for a dinner with the Indian team in London. I went there for a while and congratulated the team."

On her return to India, she agreed to stage a concert without charging a penny to raise money for the victorious team.

"The duration of the concert was four hours. I remember that all the members of the team have sung a song, specially composed by my brother Hridaynath, with me. Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev were standing beside me," recalls the melody queen.

The concert, held in Delhi’s Indraprashtha Stadium, raised Rs 20 lakh and each team-member was given a lakh.

After that concert in Delhi, she had to fly back to London for another show and so could not meet the players.

When asked to name her favourite player, she said, "Undoubtedly, Sunil Gavaskar. He was the number one. Kapil is also amongst my favourites and how can I forget Sachin… He is the god of cricket; he is everyone’s favourite."

The 78-year-old still retains her enthusiasm for cricket. She watches all the matches featuring India and whenever they lose, she gets upset.

"Team India lost in the first round in the 2007 World Cup. I felt very bad but it is part and parcel of the game. I followed IPL also and backed Mumbai Indians for obvious reasons." she said.

She finds the changes in the game in these 25 years are for the better.

"Why cricket only, everything has changed, including music. I don't see any harm in it. It is natural and good."

Which song of hers would she like to dedicate to the 1983 World Cup winners? "It has to be Vande Mataram," she says.