
Why India And England Players Are Wearing Black Armbands On Day 1 Of 1st Test?
India and England players are wearing black armbands on Day 1 of the first Test which is taking place at Headingley in Leeds.
India and England players are wearing black armbands in memory of the victims of the Ahmedabad plane attack on Day 1 of the first Test, which is taking place at Headingley in Leeds. More than 250 people lost their lives when an aeroplane crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12.
'Both teams will wear black armbands today as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash. Out thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible events that took place in Ahmedabad last week," England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) tweeted on Friday.
pic.twitter.com/Guxf1aO8iJ
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 20, 2025
Both teams will wear black armbands today as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash.Out thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible events that took place in Ahmedabad last week 🖤 pic.twitter.com/xojt3zENLZ
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 20, 2025
Indian players and members of the support staff wore black armbands before the start of the intra-squad match last week, and on Day 3 of the WTC 2025 final, Australian and South African players also wore black armbands in memory of the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash.
In the first Test of the five-match series, India will bat first. England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss on Friday and invited India to bat first in Shubman Gill's first Test as India captain. Tamil Nadu batter B Sai Sudharsan is making his Test debut for India at Headingley, and the 23-year-old cricketer will bat at No. 3. Gill will come out at No. 4, and he will be followed by Rishabh Pant and Karun Nair.
Nair, who has a triple century to his name in Test cricket, last played a Test match for India in 2017.
Ravindra Jadeja is the lone spinner in India's playing XI, and Shardul Thakur has been preferred over Nitish Kumar Reddy for the fast-bowling all-rounder's role.
Shardul, who last played a Test match for India in December 2023 against South Africa in Centurion, scored 122 runs in the intra-squad match.
Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna are the three fast bowlers for India in Leeds.
Playing XIs
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
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