Mithali Raj On Ringing The Lord's Bell: 'Special Occasion For Me Because....'
Mithali Raj reminisced about her bittersweet memories at Lord's after ringing the bell for Day 4, recalling the 2017 World Cup final loss and her first visit in 1999.
Former India captain Mithali Raj got nostalgic about her bittersweet memories at the Lord's Cricket Ground in England, after she rang the iconic bell to kick off play for Day 4 of the India men's Test against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Mithali said her team's 2017 ODI World Cup final defeat to England here was still fresh in her memory, but so was her first visit to the ground in 1999 where she dreamed of playing here.
Sachin Tendulkar opened the play by ringing the bell on the opening day, former England captain Andrew Strauss's children — on the occasion of the annual Red For Ruth day by his foundation — did it on Day 2, and Cheteshwar Pujara followed on Day 3. The bell is located outside the Bowlers' Bar of the Lord's Pavilion and the tradition to ring it before each day's play began in 2007.
'I think it's a special occasion for me because this ground has a lot of history, and I do remember my first tour in 1999, my debut tour to England, and I came to Lord's as a tourist," Mithali was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 'I took some pictures here, wondering will I would ever get an opportunity to play at Lord's, and I did. I probably would have played about 3 or 4 games at Lord's, and one of those remains still in my memory, the 2017 ODI World Cup Final."
The legendary cricketer was also asked about India's chances for the ODI World Cup. She advised them to take it one game at a time and not to underestimate any opponent.
'I think for India to win the World Cup they have to take one game at a time, of course, Australia is a team that every team would like to beat, but South Africa has done well in the one-day series; they might not have won against India. England of course, is in a transition so how they approach the World Cup we don't know, Indian team should focus on one game at a time. Their first aim has to be to qualify for the knockouts, and from there on it is anybody's game, but to be there, you cannot take any team lightly because every team comes prepared to win the World Cup."
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July 13, 2025, 20:46 IST
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