As part of their build-up to the forthcoming five-Test series against England, India’s cricket team played an intra-squad match in Beckenham. The team honored the victims of the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash before the commencement of play on Friday, June 13.
In a rare moment of dignity before the match, Indian players and officials sported black armbands and paid their respects with a minute’s silence to remember those who were killed in the tragic accident. More than 200 people were reported killed in the ghastly plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted pictures of the tribute on social media. On X, the BCCI wrote, “Players and members of support staff playing in the intra-squad game at Beckenham are wearing black armbands. A minute’s silence was also taken today to honor the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash, as a gesture of respect for the deceased and support with the bereaved families.”
In the future, the India-England Test series will start on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds. The other matches will be conducted in Birmingham, Lord’s, Manchester, and The Oval.
The series will also see a fresh chapter in Indian Test cricket, with Shubman Gill leading the team. Punjab’s 25-year-old right-hand batter will be making his debut as India’s Test captain at Headingley and will be the 37th player to do so. He took over the captaincy after Rohit Sharma abruptly retired from Test cricket on May 7. While Rohit has walked away from red-ball cricket, he will remain the captain of the ODI team.
India announced its tour squad for the England tour on May 24, with a combination of old and new faces. Karun Nair, who has been out for over eight years, has returned to the Test side, while Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav have also been brought back. Left-handed batsman B Sai Sudharsan of Tamil Nadu and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh of Punjab are among the debutants.