Both the Indian cricket team and the visitors Australia paid tribute to the martyrs of the cowardly terrorist attack in Pulwama attack by maintaining two minutes of silence at the start of the first T20I match between the two at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy stadium in Visakhapatnam. Virat Kohli and his men were also seen wearing a black band on their arm in their honor.
The horrifying attack had claimed the lives of 44 CRPF troopers on February 14 at the Kashmir Valley and it was claimed to be done by Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammad.
Following the dastardly attack in Pulwama that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans, there were intense discussions regarding boycotting India’s clash against Pakistan. India skipper has now come out to say that they will stand by whatever decision the government of India and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) take in the matter.
ALSO READ: Indian Fans Urged BCCI To Boycott Pakistan From All Aspects
Talking about the same, pre-match press conference on the eve of the game Vizag T20I, Virat said, “Our stand is simple. We stick by what the nation wants to do and what the BCCI decides to do and that is basically our opinion.”
Earlier, Australia won the toss and elected to field against India in the first T20 International match in Vizag. For India, KL Rahul came back into the playing XI while Shikhar Dhawan has been rested. The fiery pacer Umesh Yadav replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Vijay Shankar made way for debutant Mayank Markande. For Australia, Peter Handscomb is making his debut.
Speaking to Mirror Now about the same, head coach Ravi Shastri expressed that the government’s decision on the impending match will be the final call. He said, “It’s entirely left to the BCCI and the government. They know exactly what is happening and they will take a call. We will go by what they decide. If the government says it’s that sensitive you do not need to play the World Cup, I will go by my government.”
Here is the video of the tribute:
https://twitter.com/videos_shots/status/1099668723374280704
