London: The iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground witnessed a star-studded gathering on Sunday as former India captain MS Dhoni, Bollywood celebrities, and several cricketing legends came together to watch the high-voltage ODI series decider between India and England.
Broadcast cameras captured Dhoni and his wife Sakshi enjoying the match from the premium hospitality enclosure alongside Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who attended with his son, and actress Kriti Sanon. Their presence added glamour to the winner-takes-all clash at the ‘Home of Cricket’.
This is Dhoni’s third appearance during India’s ongoing tour of England. The former captain had earlier attended the third T20 International at Trent Bridge on his birthday and was also present during the opening ODI at Edgbaston.
The list of distinguished guests at Lord’s extended well beyond Bollywood. Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer was among those in attendance, while a memorable photograph featuring some of cricket’s greatest icons quickly went viral on social media.
The picture brought together legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar, West Indies greats Brian Lara and Sir Clive Lloyd, Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara, and former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who had the honour of ringing the traditional five-minute bell before the start of play.
Adding to the notable presence in the stands, Ritika Sajdeh, wife of former India captain Rohit Sharma, was also spotted cheering for the Indian team.
On the field, England made a commanding start after electing to bat first. The hosts reached 206/1 in 33 overs, powered by a brilliant 192-run opening partnership between Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett, putting themselves in a strong position in the series decider, with the three-match ODI series locked at 1-1.
India struggled to make early breakthroughs, with the bowling attack missing its spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out of the decisive encounter after sustaining a knee injury during the second ODI in Cardiff.
