The Indian men’s cricket team wore black armbands during their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 clash against England at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday to pay their respects to former India captain and one of the greatest left-arm spinners, Bishan Singh Bedi, who passed away on Monday at the age of 77.
Bedi played 67 Tests for India and took 266 wickets with 14 five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul. He was the part of Indian cricket’s golden quartet of spinners with Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and Srinivas Venkataraghavan. They formed the core of India’s bowling unit for over a decade between 1966 and 1978.
#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.#CWC23 | #MenInBlue | #INDvENG
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 29, 2023
Bedi was also the longest-serving Delhi Ranji team captain from 1974 to 1982 and under him the team became a force to reckon with the national cricket circuit. Bedi was a highly respected figure in the cricketing world and his death was mourned by fans and players alike. The Indian team’s decision to wear black armbands in his honor was a fitting tribute to his legacy.
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Meanwhile, in the match, England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bowl first. India came into the clash after winning five matches on the trot and are firmly in the frame to reach the semi-finals. England, the defending champions, come into the match after suffering three consecutive losses in the competition, leaving their semi-final hopes hanging by a thread.
Both teams are fielding unchanged teams from their respective previous clashes. India is batting first for the very first time in the competition after acing five consecutive chases.
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India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
England (Playing XI): Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
