IND vs ENG: Why is Team India wearing black armband in World Cup clash against England?
IND vs ENG World Cup 2023: The Indian cricket team wore black armbands in the World Cup clash against England in memory of the legendary Bishan Singh Bedi who passed away earlier on Monday.
The Indian team took the field against England in the ongoing World Cup on Sunday at Lucknow's Ekana Sports City, wearing a black armband. During the national anthem, even support staff members, such as head coach Rahul Dravid, were seen wearing black armbands.
In a do-or-die clash for the defending champions, England skipper Jos Buttler chose to bowl first.
Bishan Singh Bedi
In his heyday, the celebrated left-arm spinner formed a much-vaunted spinning quartet with Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar. He died on Monday in Delhi after a long illness.
The legendary spinner represented India in 67 Tests and 10 One-Day Internationals, taking a total of 273 wickets. Bedi is well known for his profound understanding of the game, and his elegant and rhythmic bowling action, combined with his ability to generate prodigious spin and his ball discipline, earned him tremendous success.
Bedi, who has 1560 first-class wickets to his name, has also led India in 22 Tests, with three of the six victories coming on foreign soil. He also played in India's first ODI on July 13, 1974, in Leeds.
Bedi retired with the distinction of being India's all-time leading wicket-taker in Test cricket.