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England skipper Ben Stokes with black armband during the first ENG vs IND Test in Leeds. (AP)
The Indian cricket team and England players wore black armbands on Friday when they came out for the national anthem before the start of Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley in Leeds, as a tribute and mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash last week in Ahmedabad. The players from both teams also observed a minute of silence prior to the respective national anthems.
An Air India flight from Ahmedabad bound for London Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people and leaving only one survivor. There were 242 passengers and crew aboard. According to the official passenger list, there were 169 Indians, 53 from the United Kingdom, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
FOLLOW: IND vs ENG LIVE SCORE, 1st Test Day 1
Earlier, players from the South African and Australian teams also wore black armbands and observed a minute of silence during their World Test Championship final.
On Friday, Tamil Nadu sensation Sai Sudharsan also marked his Test debut. Sudharsan was seen receiving the Test cap from Cheteshwar Pujara in a team huddle ahead of the toss that went in Ben Stokes’ favour, with England opting to bowl first.
Sudharsan is the 317th man to receive the India Test cap and will likely mark his first innings as India’s new No. 3 in the line-up. The left-hander’s batting technique received several plaudits after a record-breaking IPL 2025 season, where he finished as the highest run-getter with 759 runs.
Sudharsan has previously featured in two County stints with Surrey in 2023 and 2024, averaging 35. In his last outing for the side, Sudharsan cracked his maiden First-Class century in English conditions, while batting at No. 6. Overall, the 23-year-old averages 39.93 for 1957 runs in 29 FC outings since his debut in 2022.
Joining Sudharsan in the XI is Karun Nair, making his comeback to the Test fold for his first appearance in eight years since his last match against Australia in March 2017 in Dharamsala. Nair made waves on the domestic circuit this season, including his career-best Ranji Trophy season, ending with a title triumph in Vidarbha. The 33-year-old shone in the knockout matches, slamming three centuries, including a century in the final against Kerala.
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