Here’s why Australia players wore black armbands on Day 2 of the 4th BGT Test in Ahmedabad

On Day 2 of the fourth and final Test match of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series against India on Friday, the Australian cricket team wore black armbands. Their captain, Pat Cummins, had lost his mother earlier in the day, so this was a heartfelt homage to her.

“We are deeply saddened at the passing of Maria Cummins overnight. On behalf of Australian Cricket, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Pat, the Cummins family and their friends.” Cricket Australia took to Twitter to announce the news of Maria Cummins’s passing.

Cummins, who had chosen not to play in the third Border-Gavaskar Test, flew to Sydney to be with his mother following Australia’s defeat to India in the second Test in Delhi. Steve Smith was consequently named the interim captain for the rest of the series.

India are currently 36/0 at Stumps, Day 2

Thanks to Smith’s outstanding leadership abilities, Australia advanced to the much-awaited Global Test Championship final with a commanding nine-wicket victory against India in Indore. Smith’s team is expected to perform admirably in the last, which will be held at The Oval in June.

Regarding the ongoing Test in Ahmedabad, Australia won the toss and decided to bat first on a wicket that seemed batter-friendly at first glance. The visitors rode on centuries by opener Usman Khawaja (180 off 422) and Cameron Green (114 off 170), reaching 480 before being bowled out on Day 2.

Ravichandran Ashwin remained the pick of the bowlers for India as he returned with figures of 6/91 from 47.2 overs. Mohammed Shami picked up two as Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel returned with one wicket apiece in the game. In reply, India got off to a good start, with openers Rohit Sharma (17 off 33) and Shubman Gill (18 off 27) surviving the day.

Notably, the last Test is crucial for both teams. While Australia has already qualified for the Test Championships final, India is still waiting for the final Test to end to clarify the situation. If they fail to win the final Test, they’ll have to wait for the results of the ongoing Test series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand.