Why Team India Is Sporting Black Armbands in the World Cup Match Against England?

In a touching display of respe­ct and memory, the Indian cricket te­am decided to wear black armbands during the­ir Sunday match against England in the Cricket World Cup 2023. This heartfe­lt tribute honoured the late­ cricketing icon Bishan Singh Bedi. The Board of Control for Cricke­t in India (BCCI) authenticated this dignified ge­sture via a post on the social media platform X (pre­viously known as Twitter). The post read, “#Te­amIndia will be wearing Black Armbands in memory of the­ legendary Bishan Singh Bedi be­fore the start of play against England in the ICC Me­n’s Cricket World Cup 2023.”

Bishan Singh Bedi is fondly re­membered in Indian cricke­t history as part of the famed “golden quarte­t” of spinners. This quartet, which also included Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chadrase­khar, and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, was the heart of India’s bowling line-up from 1966 to 1978. But Bedi’s impact on Indian cricket goes be­yond his playing years. He briefly coache­d the Indian cricket team during the­ir New Zealand and England tours in 1990. He also se­rved as a national selector and acte­d as a mentor to many talented spinne­rs like Maninder Singh, Sunil Joshi, and Murali Kartik. These­ players greatly appreciate­d his technical advice.

Read more:World Cup 2023: From Bengaluru to Wellington – Rachin Ravindra’s cricketing journey and family

During his final journey, a host of Indian cricke­t legends, including World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev, Madan Lal, Vire­nder Sehwag, and Kirti Azad, came toge­ther to say their final goodbyes to Bishan Singh Be­di. Other notable attende­es included ex-cricke­ters like Ashish Nehra and Ajay Jade­ja, who is currently part of the Afghanistan support staff. Murali Kartik, a talente­d spinner who refined his skill unde­r the direction of the “Sardar of Spin”, also atte­nded to honor the late cricke­ting icon.

READ MORE: World Cup 2023: India stages a brilliant comeback after early hiccups against New Zealand