Desh ka parcham lehra do: Composer Pritam sends best wishes to Team India

MUMBAI: Music composer Pritam Chakraborty shared his best wishes for the 'Men in Blue' ahead of the much-anticipated World Cup final between hosts India and Australia on Sunday. The composer is among the celebrities lined up for gigs before and during the tournament finale at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on a blockbuster Sunday.

"Any match featuring India and Australia is highly anticipated and is even more so if the two teams are going against each other in the World Cup final. I wish luck to both teams but would love to watch India win. However, since I am scheduled to perform at the stadium, I may miss some part of the action during the first half of the match on Sunday. My Message to Team India is: play well, desh ka parcham lehra do (raise our flag and let it flutter)."

Several Bollywood A-listers and celebs have come forward to wish the hosts and share their excitement and anticipation for the World Cup final at the world's biggest cricketing arena in Ahmedabad.

Earlier, actor and do-gooder Sonu Sood told ANI, "Congratulations in advance to Team India. When such a fantastic bunch of players make the final, victory is assured. The entire country, 140 crore citizens are praying for them to lift the World Cup. A prayer straight from the heart does not go unanswered. I wish them all the best."

Actor Raveena Tandon, too, wished the 'Men in Blue' all the best, saying, "All the very best to Team India. Lehra do Tiranga (raise the Tricolour). Go get it. Jai Hind Jai Bharat." The final on Sunday is being billed as an opportunity for India to avenge its losses in the finals of the 2003 ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship (WTC) earlier this year.

The hosts stormed into the final after registering a comprehensive 70-run victory over a fighting New Zealand on Wednesday. After Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill's explosive start, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer scored a ton each to put India on course to a massive target. KL Rahul arrived to apply the finishing touches to power India to a score of 397/4.

Continuing his dream run in the ongoing edition of the tournament, speedsterMohammed Shami then cast his spell on the Kiwi batters and finished with 7 wickets to derail the New Zealand chase and seal India's spot in the final. In the second semifinal, South Africa made Australia sweat to reach the humble target of 213.

The five-time champions slipped in their chase of the paltry target but recovered just in time to cross the finish line. Australia skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc held their nerves to take the five-time champions to the final against India.