3 ways the iconic late Lata Mangeshkar showed her love for Indian cricket

The death of the iconic Lata Mangeshkar left India at a loss of words. Lauded and fondly remembered as the 'Nightingale of India', it was no secret that she was an ardent lover of Indian cricket.

Following her demise on February 6 from COVID and pneumonia, there have been stories pouring on the web about her love for the sport and the contribution she made apart from having the country sway to her voice.

India's former and current cricketers took to social media to share their heartfelt tributes to the late singer who enthralled the country with her songs.

Mangeshkar, the recipient of multiple awards in the film industry, was also one of the first Indian playback singers to ever perform at the famed Royal Albert Hall in London.

And as we look back at the fond memories the singer gave us, here's a look at her contribution to Indian cricket.

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#1 When Lata Mangeshkar helped BCCI raise money for India's 1983 World Cup winners

It was a historic day for Indian cricket on June 25, 1983. They won their maiden cricket World Cup, beating the West Indies at Lord's. The BCCI, now one of the richest boards in the sport, didn't have the funds then to felicitate the heroes who won the title.

NKP Salve, the then head honcho of the board, reached out to Raj Singh Dungarpur for help and the former Indian cricketer had a brainwave. He asked Lata Mangeshkar for help and she did so with a two-hour performance.

The fundraiser was a grand success as 20 lakhs were raised and was enough to honor the Indian team. Per The Times of India, former cricketer Sunil Valson said it was a memorable day.

"It was a very decent sum in those days. We would otherwise have saved up tour money and daily allowance for that month and it came to barely Rs 60,000. I remember some people saying we would give you Rs 5000, some said Rs 10,000 and it was very disrespectful at times. But then Lata ji sang in that concert. What a function it was and one of the most memorable evenings to watch Lata Mangeshkar sing live."

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#2 Lata Mangeshkar lauded the Indian side that won the Test series against Pakistan in 2004

“I can never forget that as soon as India sealed the series in Rawalpindi, the first call I received from India was from Lata Didi and she was as excited and joyous as any other Indian. She asked me to pass her congratulatory messages to all the boys,” Ratnakar Shetty, the former manager of the side, told The Hindu.

India won the three-match Test series 2-1. The famed and pivotal Test series gave Indian fans some fond memories of Virender Sehwag's marathon 309 and Sachin Tendulkar's unbeaten 194.

The third Test also saw a solid double century from Rahul Dravid which helped India take the series.

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#3 Lata Mangeshkar's fandom continued in 2007 when India won the T20 World Cup

The legendary singer never missed a beat when it came to rooting for the Indian team. In what was a heartfelt reciprocation of all her help to India's billion-following sport, the team’s open-top bus ride through Mumbai in 2007 after winning the World Twenty20, stopped for a brief bit below her home on Peddar Road where she was seen waving to the cricketers.