Singer Sunidhi Chauhan enthralled spectators as she took to Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium to sing the national anthem for the girls in blue. Later she entertained the crowd with a medley of her popular hits. She was joined by 60 dancers, and the show featured a stunning special-effects fireworks display.

Sharing her thoughts on the Women’s world cup, she says, “Nothing can beat that platform, I was singing for the women of our country. I glanced at the players, before I began singing the national anthem and could see how charged and ready they were. I had to hold back from bursting into tears and thankfully kept strong through the performance. The stadium was packed and seeing such a large crowd cheering for our girls made me emotional. In the past I’ve had the opportunity to perform at matches like the men’s India v/s Pakistan match but nothing can compare to this feeling. I can proudly say this one will go down in history.”

While the plan had to be tweaked because of the rain, Sunidhi is glad her performance went through without a glitch. She recalls, “The weather forecast kept us on our toes. Everything was on standby in case it started raining. I was supposed to interact with the players and commentators, that didn’t happen but I’m glad I saw our girls watching me perform in between the innings. The best part was I got to interact with Sachin Tendulkar, before the match which was an impromptu moment.”

While the singer couldn’t watch the winning moment in the stadium, she managed to catch the historic win at home. She says, “I had to return home halfway because my seven- year-old son (Tegh) had school the next day but I watched the winning moment on my TV screen. It was a close contest but the win was a sigh of relief. I was ecstatic.”