Explained: Why India Players Are Wearing Black Armbands On The Third Day Of The Rajkot Test

The Indian players are wearing black armbands on the third day of the ongoing Test match against England in Rajkot today (February 17).

India started the third day on a high note as England posted a total of 445 in the first innings to take a comfortable score of 207-2. They had to miss star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who left the team midway through the Test match due to personal reasons. However, when Rohit Sharma’s squad took to the field on the third day, they were seen wearing black armbands for a different reason.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced this reason on X (Twitter): Team India class=”css-1qaijid r -bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3″> will wear a black armband in memory of Dattajirao Gaekwad, former Indian captain and India’s oldest Test cricketer who passed away recently.

At the time of his death, Gaekward was India’s oldest Test cricketer, retiring at the age of 95. He played 11 Tests for India from 1951 to 1962, then captained the team on the 1959 tour of England, and led Baroda to the title in the 1957-58 Ranji Trophy, defeating Sarvis in the final. lead. He scored 5788 runs in 110 first-class matches, including 17 centuries and 23 fifties, at an average of 36.40. His unbeaten run of 249 matches, his career high, was recorded against Maharashtra in his season 1959-60.

Jasprit Bumrah gave the hosts their first breakthrough of the day when he caught Joe Root’s slip as the batsman attempted a reverse ramp. However, it was Kuldeep Yadav who rose to the occasion in Ashwin’s absence and starred for India in his first session. He dismissed Ben Duckett, who could only add 20 more points to his score for the night, for 153, and also trapped Jonny Bairstow lbw for a duck. England were bowled out for 319 after lunch, with Mohammed Siraj taking four wickets.

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