England and India players were seen wearing black armbands on the opening day of the five-match Test series at Headingley. Here's why.
England and India are set to face off in a five-match Test series, beginning with the first game at Headingley in Leeds. India bear a new-look outfit following the retirements of R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The team is now led by Shubman Gill, with Sai Sudharsan handed a Test cap, and Karun Nair making his return after eight years.
Gill is set to bat at four, while Rishabh Pant will come in at five.
England, led by Ben Stokes, announced their playing XI a day in advance. There was no place for Jacob Bethell, with Ollie Pope coming in at No.3 and Shoaib Bashir keeping his spot. England won the toss and elected to bowl.
Ahead of the first Test, players from both teams were seen wearing black armbands.
England v India, Leeds Test: Why are players wearing black armbands?
The gesture has been prompted by the recent tragedy in the city of Ahmedabad, where Air India flight AI 171, carrying 242 passengers, crashed soon after takeoff. So far, the death toll has gone up to 275, including 34 people who passed away at the ground. The plane was supposed to fly from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London, on June 12, and included many Indian and UK nationals on board.
The teams also observed a minute of silence prior to the national anthem at the toss.
A BCCI post said: "The Indian Cricket Team and the England Cricket Team observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash ahead of the start of play on Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds.
"The teams are wearing the black armbands to express solidarity with those affected.
"The teams offer their deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who tragically lost their lives."
Australia and South Africa's players undertook a similar mark of respect during the World Test Championship final, with the plane crash happening during that Test.
England v India, Leeds Test: Playing XIs
England XI: Ben Stokes (C), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
India XI: Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
England v India: Live score
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