Sanjay Manjrekar rings the bell at Lord's, wants to repeat it at the Eden Gardens next

Since 2007, a unique tradition of an international cricketer, administrator or well-known enthusiast of the sport ringing the five-minute bell at Lord’s has been established. Till date, many eminent personalities have had the honour of fulfilling the duty. Very recently, it was Sanjay Manjrekar who rang the bell on the third day of the ongoing second Test between India and England.

Inspired by the Lord’s tradition, the Eden Gardens in Kolkata has also started a similar tradition in recent times. The president of Cricket Association Bengal (CAB) Sourav Ganguly is the one who took the initiative to bring this tradition to India. Recently, Manjrekar tweeted and expressed his wish to repeat the deed at the Eden Gardens.

Sanjay Manjrekar trying to ‘charm’ Sourav Ganguly

After undertaking the prestigious duty at the Lord’s, Manjrekar talked about his desire to ring the bell at the Eden Gardens. He added some cheekiness into the tweet and said that he’s been trying to work his charm on the former Indian skipper, Ganguly in order to be allowed to take the five-minute bell ringing duties at the regal Kolkata stadium.

Till date, only six Indians have had the opportunity of ushering in the game at the Lord’s, namely, Sunil Gavaskar, late MAK Pataudi, Dilip Vengsarkar, Rahul Dravid, Kapil Dev and Sourav Ganguly. The much-revered bell is located outside the Bowler’s Bar of the Lord’s pavilion. Sachin Tendulkar was expected to ring the bell on the first day of the ongoing Test. However, it was not to be as the first day of play was abandoned completely owing to rain.

In fact, Tendulkar waited patiently the entire first day so as to be able to ring the bell as soon as the weather cleared. Unfortunately, there were regular downpours that nipped the hopes of the batting legend in the bud. The second day of the game saw Ted Dexter, the 82-year-old former English all-rounder, and Anya Shrubsole, the fast-bowler of England’s women’s team take on the duties.

Here’s what Manjrekar tweeted:

Next on the bucket list – The bell at the Eden Gardens. Have been working my charm on Sourav last three weeks. https://t.co/5DF2Sr83pg

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) August 11, 2018

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