London: Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar marked a symbolic moment at Lord’s on Thursday as he rang the iconic five-minute bell to signal the start of day one of the third Test between India and England. The match, part of the ongoing five-match series for the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, stands crucial with the series levelled at 1-1.
Accompanied by his wife Anjali, Tendulkar greeted the crowd with a wave and a namaste before ringing the bell from the pavilion balcony, a time-honoured tradition at Lord’s that dates back to 2007. The gesture was met with applause from spectators, and Tendulkar was later seen in conversation with former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The five-minute bell ceremony is a Lord’s tradition where cricketing greats are invited to mark the start of play by ringing the bell located outside the bowlers’ bar. Tendulkar joins a distinguished list of Indian legends who have performed the honour, including Sunil Gavaskar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid.
Earlier, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) had announced that Tendulkar would ring the bell for the first time at Lord’s on the same day that his official portrait was to be unveiled at the MCC Museum. The portrait, painted by British artist Stuart Pearson Wright, will remain in the museum before being relocated to the prestigious Pavilion later this year.
Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket in 2013, remains one of the most celebrated batters in the history of the sport. With 34,357 international runs to his name across formats, he holds the record for the highest number of international runs—more than 6,000 ahead of former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara.
On the field, both India and England made significant changes for the Test at Lord’s. England welcomed back pacer Jofra Archer, who returns to the Test side after a four-year hiatus due to back and elbow injuries. He replaces Josh Tongue in the playing eleven. India, meanwhile, brought back pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in place of Prasidh Krishna, strengthening their bowling attack for this high-stakes clash.
With IANS inputs