Mumbai: India’s first World Cup winning captain and who once held the world record for highest wickets in test cricket, Kapil Dev rang the bell just before the Indian and New Zealand teams walked on the ground for the national anthem on the opening day of the second Test match of the three match series at the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata on Friday.
Kapil Dev was accompanied by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President and former India captain Sourav Ganguly. He rang the bell in front of a very enthusiastic crowd. All rounder Ravindra Jadeja was also seen witnessing the event from the player’s dressing room.
The ringing of the five-minute bell, introduced at Lord’s, is a ritual started in 2007. An international cricketer or administrator or a well-known enthusiast of the sport is tasked to perform the act.
So when Sourav Ganguly got a Lord’s-type bell installed at the Eden Gardens the first call he made was to Kapil, with a simple request and Kapil Dev accepted it with great honor.
While interacting with the media, he said, “I have done it at the Lord’s but doing it at our own ground, and that too the Eden Gardens will be an honour for me. It was sweet of Sourav to think of me as the first one to ring it and I am looking forward to it.”
Talking about the tradition, Kapil added, “Today it is me, tomorrow it will be somebody else. That’s how I see it and former players will feel part of the action. Eden Gardens is one of the most special grounds for Indians and you feel the aura around that place when you go out there. It will be a special moment for me too. I wish Sourav, CAB and the cricket-loving people in Kolkata the best of this Test match.”