Bhuvneshwar Kumar hopes to add to his fond memories at Lord's should India progress to the World Cup final in July
All eyes on Lord's for Indian paceman
India paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar has fond memories of Lord's and he hopes to make more history at the iconic venue by playing there in a World Cup final.
The 29-year-old made his mark at the 'home of cricket' by leading an India side captained by MS Dhoni to a famous Test win there in 2014, his first tour with the national team.
Kumar returned figures of 6-82 and struck 52 with the bat but now he wants to be a one-day international star at Lord's by playing there in the World Cup final on July 14.
Image Id: FCC3FECDB15D4C9485AC7B7374376770 Image Caption: Kumar celebrates one of his six wickets against England at Lord's in 2014 // Getty
"I've been here two or three times but I always like coming back to play in England. It would mean a lot to get to go back to Lord's for the final of the World Cup," said Kumar.
"Lord's is always a special place, not just for me but for any cricketer. I have very good memories there, so if we reach the final it will be a very big moment for not just me but for the whole team."
India, now captained by Virat Kohli, have been tagged as one of the favourites to lift the World Cup along with England and Australia.
They begin their campaign against South Africa, who've already lost their first two matches, on Wednesday.
But a dominating warm-up win over Bangladesh earlier this week already gives Kumar confidence of a good showing in the 50-over showpiece event.
"We got everything we wanted out of the match; when it comes to batting, bowling and fielding," he said.
Centuries from Dhoni and Lokesh Rahul helped India to 7-359, a total their bowlers defended by bundling out Bangladesh for 264.
Kumar sent down five disciplined overs, conceding just 19 runs to put pressure on the opposition batsmen who lost their wickets to the spinners.
2019 World Cup
Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
June 1: Australia beat Afghanistan by seven wickets
June 6: Australia v West Indies, Trent Bridge
June 9: India v Australia, The Oval
June 12: Australia v Pakistan, Taunton
June 15: Sri Lanka v Australia, The Oval
June 20: Australia v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge
June 25: England v Australia, Lord's
June 29: New Zealand v Australia, Lord's (D/N)
July 6: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford (D/N)
July 9: Semi-Final 1, Old Trafford
July 11: Semi-Final 2, Edgbaston
July 14: Final, Lord's
For a full list of all World Cup fixtures, click HERE