The Indian players were spotted with black armbands on Day 3 of the Rajkot Test, Saturday, against England.
England resumed their first innings with Ben Duckett, the centurion, and Joe Root, the new man in, at the crease while India opened the bowling with Jasprit Bumrah from one end and Kuldeep Yadav from the other end; the absence of R Ashwin, who has withdrawn from the Test after Day 2 due to family medical emergency, forced India to start with Kuldeep instead of the off-spinner.
Fans noticed that the Indian players, led by the captina Rohit Sharma, were wearing black armbands.
Why are the Indian players wearing black armband today?
To honor the recently passed away former India captain Dattajirao Gaekwad, the Indian players donned black armbands on Day 3 of the Rajkot Test against England.
The BCCI confirmed this, stating, “#TeamIndia will be wearing black arm bands in memory of Dattajirao Gaekwad, former India captain and India’s oldest Test cricketer who passed away recently.”
#TeamIndia will be wearing black arm bands in memory of Dattajirao Gaekwad, former India captain and India’s oldest Test cricketer who passed away recently.#INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2024
Dattajirao Gaekwad passed away at the age of 95, on February 13, 2024, in his home city of Baroda, Gujarat. He was the oldest living cricketer in India.
Born in 1928, Dattajirao Gaekwad played 11 Test matches for India between 1952 and 1961 and captained in four of them. He featured in 110 first-class matches during 1947/48 – 1963/64. He managed an average of 18 in Test cricket and 36 in first-class cricket with 17 FC centuries to his name.
Under Dattajirao’s captaincy, Baroda won the Ranji Trophy in the 1957-58 season, beating Services in the final.
His son Anshuman Gaekwad played 40 Tests for India between 1975 and 1985.
Meanwhile, the Indian team has been depleted by the unavailability of R Ashwin for the rest of the Rajkot Test.
Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI vice president, said on Twitter that the health of Ashwin’s mother is not well and hence the off-spinner left the game mid-way.
Shukla tweeted, Wishing speedy recovery of mother of @ashwinravi99. He has to rush and leave Rajkot test to Chennai to be with his mother. @BCCI”
Also Read: Explained: Why Ravichandran Ashwin’s Decision To Leave The Rajkot Test Must Be Respected
