Before any ball was bowled at Headingley on Friday, the cricketers as well as the spectators at the venue observed a minute's silence prior to the National Anthem of both the teams.

India and England united to pay tribute to those who died in the recent plane crash in Ahmedabad. Players from both teams wore black armbands and remained silent for one minute in a gesture of respect and support for the victims.

The crash, which occurred on June 12, killed 274 individuals. A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operated by Air India Express crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad. The accident killed 181 Indians and 53 individuals from the UK. This makes the Headingley tribute even more special for both teams.

India's vice-captain Rishabh Pant reflected on the widespread sadness in the nation. He told the team wishes to bring happiness to the supporters through performance.

Pant said:

“The whole of India was saddened by what happened. The emotion is always going to be high because of the crash, but at the same time, we are going to put our best foot forward.”

The Indian vice-captain added:

“The only thing from our side is how we can make India happy again. That’s an added responsibility.”

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Ben Stokes, the skipper of the English side has won the toss and have asked the Indian batters to put the runs on the board. It was a tactical decision by Stokes as the weather in Headingly is warmer than usual.

This has forced the curators to keep some grass on the track, just to avoid making the pitch a belter. Batting on Day 1 would not be a cake walk as the English pacers will make the full use of the grass that is kept on the surface. All they will try is to dismiss the Indian top order early and get an upper hand since the beginning.