The first Test match between India and England is being played at Headingley. Team India, led by new captain Shubman Gill, was invited to bat first, as England Test team captain Ben Stokes won the toss and decided to bowl first.

New Delhi: The first Test match between India and England is being played at Headingley. Team India, led by new captain Shubman Gill, was invited to bat first, as England Test team captain Ben Stokes won the toss and decided to bowl first. Young Sai Sudarshan got a chance to make his Test debut for Team India, while Karun Nair, who was out of the Test team for a long time, has also returned to the playing-11. India and England came out wearing black bands in the match. The reason behind this has been revealed by the BCCI.

Players wearing black armbands:
Before the match started, the national anthems of both countries were played, for which the players of both teams came onto the field. During this, a black band was seen on their arms. When Indian openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal came to open, they were wearing black bands. At the same time, the players of England also came on the field wearing black bands. BCCI has shared a post on X explaining the reason behind this.

This is why the black band was worn:
Actually, the players of India and England wore black bands to pay respect to the people who lost their lives in the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad. The accident took place on June 12, when an Air India plane going from Ahmedabad to London crashed shortly after takeoff. More than 250 people died in this accident, including Indian and British citizens. Before the match started, the players and staff of both the teams also observed a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the departed souls. A day before the match, Indian vice-captain Rishabh Pant also expressed grief over the incident and said that the whole country is saddened by this accident.