London, July 16: On July 21, MS Dhoni will lead the Indian team at Lord’s Cricket Ground, in what will be the historic 100th Test to be played between India and England and the 2000th Test between any two sides. The importance – and scale – of the occasion is not lost on the Indian skipper, known for his cool and calm demeanour.

In an exclusive interview with bcci.tv, Dhoni speaks about the privilege of leading the team in this momentous Test, eagerly anticipated by cricket-lovers the world over.

On the historic Test match ahead

On the 21st [of July], when I lead the Indian cricket team […] against England at Lord’s, that will be the hundredth Test match between the two big nations. I am really proud to be part of it. Not to forget it’s the 2000th Test match in the history of the game. I think it’s a privilege to be part of the game and the venue at the same time, Lord’s. I don’t think it can get really better because [of] the venue, the place we are playing, and of course, everybody wants to be part of history.

So, god has just been kind to give me and my side an occasion where they can be part of history. 100th Test match and 2000th Test match in total.

On the big series ahead

I am really looking forward to it. It will be a real exciting game and it’s a start of the series between two big nations […] Cricket is the national sport of England and in India it’s one place where it’s not our national sport, hockey is our national sport, but [cricket] is widely followed so the fan following is really there. It will be one game that will be widely watched all over the world - not only in England and India. And of course, with the hype around it, it’s a very momentous occasion. It can’t really get better than that, playing at Lord’s, and when it comes to the numbers - 100 and 2000 – it’s really big. So I am really hoping that both the teams do really well and we try to entertain the spectators to the best we can.

On Lord’s, the venue of the first Test

Lord’s [is] one of the venues which is slightly formal compared to some of the other venues which are more flamboyant and more about entertainment and [where fans] try to support their [own] team. But Lord’s, it’s all about good cricket. It doesn’t really matter whether it is the English team that’s scoring boundaries or taking wickets or the Indian side. So I think it will be good fun and we are really looking forward to it.

Watch the exclusive interview here