IND vs ENG: Revealed - Why Indian Players Are Wearing Black Armbands vs England

India and England are squaring off with each other in match 29 of the ICC World Cup 2023. The game is taking place at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow and it’ll be a crucial game for both teams as for Men in Blue a win would almost ensure them a place in the semi-finals and for defending champions a win would keep them alive in the tournament. 

India lost the toss and were asked to bat first in their 6th game of the tournament. During the national anthems what caught the attention of many was the black armbands worn by the Rohit Sharma-led side. Many have been wondering about why the hosts are wearing the armbands in the ongoing match.

Now the reason behind that has finally been revealed. India players are wearing black armbands to pay their tribute to the former skipper Bishan Singh Bedi, who passed away recently. BCCI released the official statement and confirmed the development. 

Taking to their X account, they stated: “#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.” 

#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

Bishan Singh Bedi passed away on Monday (23rd October). The spin bowling great was battling illness for a long time and took his last breath at the age of 77. He was considered as one of the finest to have played for India as he changed the dynamics of the spin bowling in Indian cricket. 

Coming to the match, India have been jolted early with the blow of Shubman Gill. The opener went back for 9 runs as he was bowled by Chris Woakes. On the other end, Rohit Sharma has continued with the aggressive intent and the onus will be on him along with Virat Kohli to team to a good score. 

IND vs ENG: India and England Playing 11 for the game 30 of World Cup 

India haven’t made any change to the XI coming into the match against England. They are currently in the top half of the table with 5 wins from 5 games. Here’s the Indian 11: 

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 also are unchanged. They are desperate for the win as they reeling at last on the points table. A loss here would mean curtains for them in the World Cup. Here’s their 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