Revealed: Why India players are wearing black armbands in T20 World Cup 2024 match against Afghanistan

Team India is currently taking on Afghanistan in the 43rd game of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. The game is the first Super 8s game for both the teams.

The India stars came out on the field for the game wearing black armbands. The Indian team is sporting the black armbands in memory of former India fast bowler David Johnson, who passed away on Thursday (June 20). Johnson represented India in two Tests in 1996 and made a name for himself with his ability to bowl extremely fast.

In the domestic circuit, Johnson represented Karnataka. The former India pacer played 39 first-class games and picked up 125 wickets at an average of less than 30. He had also scored a century in first-class cricket. Johnson played 33 List A games as well and picked up 41 wickets. He last played a competitive game in 2015.

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India batting first against Afghanistan:

Talking about the game, India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first in the crucial game. The Men in Blue have made one change to their playing eleven for the game against Afghanistan. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has replaced Mohammed Siraj in the team. Afghanistan have also made one change to their team, bringing in Hazratullah Zazai for Karim Janat.

"We are going to bat first. Looks alright at this moment, looks a good track. No grass on the pitch, I guess it will get slower. It's better than New York. We have to adapt to the conditions quickly.

"We have been here for a couple of days, we have played a lot of cricket. It's about understanding what we need to do in conditions like these. It's an early start. Usually start in the evening elsewhere. We enjoy playing here. We have made one change, Kuldeep comes in for Siraj," said Rohit Sharma at toss.

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi