Lata to pray, fast for Sachin's ton & India win

MUMBAI: Legendary singer and known cricket buff Lata Mangeshkar fasted for Team India during the high-voltage semifinal against Pakistan and is now praying for her favourite Sachin Tendulkar to score his 100th century in Saturday's finals.
The 81-year-old, who says the master blaster is like her son, did not eat or drink during Wednesday's nine-hour nail-biter and is likely to do the same for Saturday's match."I had watched the whole match and 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 victory and we had our dinner after India won," Lata said.
"I am eager to see India win the cup and if Sachin scores his 100th century on his home ground in the final, it will be the icing on the cake. I will pray for it," said Lata.
Asked about the possibility of watching the final at Wankhede stadium, she replied in the negative. Lata had enjoyed the 1983 World Cup final from the galleries at Lords. During the 1983 World Cup, Lata was in London for a concert and was desperate to watch the final after Kapil's boys won the semi-final against England. "I invited Kapil Dev and his team for dinner before the match to my hotel. I wished them luck and after that our team created history," she said. "After winning the trophy, Kapil Dev invited me for dinner with the team in London. I went there and congratulated the players," she added.
"I don't go to stadiums anymore. I will watch Saturday's match at home and after that leave for Pune for an award ceremony," she said.
She also declined to predict the outcome. "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.