Cheteshwar Pujara to Ring Iconic Five-Minute Bell at Lord's

London (The Uttam Hindu): Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara is set to ring the iconic five-minute bell at Lord's Cricket Ground on Saturday, July 12, before the start of Day 3 in the ongoing third Test between India and England. Pujara joins a rare group of active Indian cricketers to receive this honor at the historic venue.

The five-minute bell, installed near the pavilion in 2007, has been rung by numerous cricketing greats over the years, including Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, and Shane Warne. Pujara becomes the latest addition to this esteemed list, following Deepti Sharma, who made history in 2021 as one of the first Indian women cricketers to participate in the tradition.

Pujara has played three Tests for India at Lord's between 2014 and 2021, scoring 143 runs at an average of 23.83. The right-hander joins cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who rang the bell for the first time in his career earlier in the same Test match.

Pujara's Cricketing Career

Cheteshwar Pujara, who made his debut in 2010 against Australia, has played 103 matches for India, scoring 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 fifties. Although currently out of favor with the national Test team, Pujara remains active in domestic cricket, recently featuring in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season for Saurashtra.

India's Position in the Test Match

India ended Day 2 of the third Test at Lord's on 145/3, trailing by 242 runs with seven wickets in hand. England were all out for 387 runs, with Jasprit Bumrah taking a five-wicket haul. KL Rahul (53*) and Rishabh Pant (19*) guided India safely to stumps.