Here’s Why Team India Players Are Wearing Black Armbands in IND vs SL 1st ODI
Indian players were spotted wearing black armbands during 1st ODI against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka and India are facing off in the opening ODI of their three-match series in Colombo. Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka won the toss and chose to bat first.
Meanwhile, Indian players wore black armbands as a mark of respect for former India cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad, who passed away on July 31.
Gaekwad, who played 40 Test matches and 15 ODIs for India, later served as a selector and coach for the team. He passed away at the age of 71 on Wednesday after a prolonged struggle with blood cancer.
“I was lucky to have a few conversations with him during the BCCI awards, and on a personal note as well. When I was playing Ranji Trophy, he was there and I had a chance to speak to him when he had a few things to talk about my game as well, which was overwhelming for me because he was such a great cricketer for us,” Rohit Sharma said in the press-conference.
“It’s always nice when you learn from your seniors, understand how cricket was played back in the day, how tough it was and then to pass on his experiences on cricket and what his visions are about cricket. For me, to understand that was a great learning at that point. Condolences to his family, it’s not a good time when you lose your loved ones, it’s always tough,” Rohit added.