WTC 2021-23 Final: Here’s why players and umpires are wearing black armbands
Black armbands at WTC Final (Source: Twitter)
The 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval will include players from India and Australia wearing black armbands along with the officials. On Wednesday, India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl first. When the two teams stood up for the national anthems of their respective countries, it was noticeable that both sets of players were sporting the bands on their sleeves.
The armbands are worn in remembrance of the victims of the train tragedy that occurred in Balasore, Odisha, on Friday. A little before 7 o’clock on Friday, the Coromandel Express crashed into a halted cargo train carrying iron ore, resulting in over 280 fatalities and over 1000 injuries. The Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express was then struck by several of its wrecked carriages in India’s worst rail accident in thirty years.
A moment of silence preceded the national anthems at WTC Final
“The Indian Cricket Team will observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Odisha train tragedy ahead of the start of play on Day 1 of the World Test Championship final at The Oval. The team mourns the deaths and offers its deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who tragically lost their lives. To express solidarity with those affected, Team India will wear black armbands,” the Indian Cricket Board said in a statement.
Usman Khawaja falling for a duck off the fourth ball of the third over of the Australian innings gave Mohammed Siraj the breakthrough for India. Siraj and Mohammed Shami started off the third over by bowling two maidens, so Australia didn’t get going until the fourth ball of the third over. In place of Ravichandran Ashwin, the top-ranked Test bowler in the world, India has chosen to field Ravindra Jadeja as their solitary spinner.
India is participating in the prestigious one-off Test match for the second time. They had previously suffered an eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in the 2021 WTC final at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl.
