India vs West Indies: Team India wears black armbands as a mark of respect to Lata Mangeshkar

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Ahmedabad, February 6: Indian cricket team is sporting black armbands as a mark of respect and tribute to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar in the first ODI against West Indies on Sunday (February 6). Lata Mangeshkar died at the age of 92 at a Mumbai hospital due to multiple organ failure.

Team India is locking horns with West Indies in the first ODI at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday and kick off the cricket season at home.

"Indian Players will sport black armbands in the first ODI against West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium to condole the demise of Lata Mangeshkar. The national flag will fly at half-mast," BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla told ANI.

The Indian cricket team's Twitter handle wrote, "The Indian Cricket Team is wearing black armbands today to pay their respects to Bharat Ratna Smt. Lata Mangeshkar ji who left for her heavenly abode on Sunday morning. The queen of melody, Lata didi loved cricket, always supported the game and backed Team India."

The iconic singer had been admitted to Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital on January 8 after she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia. Though having recovered from COVID, the singer was put on ventilator support after her condition worsened on Saturday.

Two-day national mourning will be observed in memory of Lata Mangeshkar. The national flag will also fly at half-mast for two days, as a mark of respect, and she will be given a State funeral. Dr Pratit Samdani, who was treating Lata Mangeshkar at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital, said today.

"It is with profound grief that we announce the sad demise of Lata Mangeshkar at 8:12 am. She has died because of multi-organ failure after more than 28 days of hospitalisation post-COVID-19."

Indian cricket fraternity too condoled the passing away of the veteran singer and paid rich tributes to the departed soul. India cricketer Virat Kohli - who will be in action against the West Indies in the opening ODI against WI - took to his Twitter handle to mourn her demise.

Born on September 28, 1929, she began her career in the year 1942 at the age of 13. In a career spanning over seven decades, the melody queen recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films. She had sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages.

In 2001, in recognition of her contributions to the nation, she was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour and is only the second vocalist, after MS Subbulakshmi, to receive this honour.