Revealed: Why Indian Players Are Wearing Black Armbands In The Oval Test

The Indian players were spotted wearing black armbands at the start of the fourth Test against England on Thursday at the Oval; they will be donning that through the game. The reason behind this: the Indian contingent is paying a tribute to Vasudev Paranjape, who passed away on Monday, aged 82.

Paranjape, a former Mumbai cricketer, and renowned coach, played 29 first-class matches for Mumbai and Baroda from 1956 to 1970. The right-hand batsman scored 785 runs at an average of 23.78 and picked up 9 wickets.

However, it was his coaching career that earned him immense respect and admiration among the cricket fraternity. He mentored and coached several prominent cricketers from Mumbai, including legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and current India opener Rohit Sharma. He had worked closely with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Yuvraj Singh.

The Indian Cricket Team is sporting black armbands today to honour the demise of Shri Vasudev Paranjape.#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/9pEd2ZB8ol

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 2, 2021

Paranjape represented the Dadar Union – one of the indomitable sides in Mumbai’s local cricket during his playing days. Later on, he coached and managed several national youth teams and also served as a coach at the National Cricket Academy.

His son, Jatin, featured in 4 ODIs and 62 first-class matches; he then served as the national selector.

India head coach Ravi Shastri tribute to Vasudev Paranjape:

Former allrounder and current India head coach Ravi Shastri, who is currently in England with the Test side, paid his tributes to Vasudeo Paranjape, expressing his sadness at the demise of the coach.

“Really saddened at the demise of Vasoo Paranjape. He was an institution in the game with a real positive vibe in whatever he did.  Condolences to @jats72 and the family. God bless his soul,” Shastri tweeted.

Really saddened at the demise of Vasoo Paranjape. He was an institution in the game with a real positive vibe in whatever he did. Condolences to @jats72 and the family. God bless his soul ?? pic.twitter.com/LlIkaB242Q

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) August 30, 2021