Revealed- Why West Indies players are wearing black armbands vs India in Delhi Test?
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The India vs West Indies second Test is underway at the iconic Arun Jaitely Stadium in New Delhi, and the West Indies players are donning black armbands to pay tribute to a former cricketer who passed away this week.
After their humiliating defeat in the first Test at Ahmedabad, where the Indians clinched a dominating win by 140 runs and an innings, the West Indies will be hoping to show some resistance in the second Test. They have included some new names in the team and have revamped their playing XI.
Why are West Indies cricketers wearing Black armbands?
As the second match begins at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, India, skipper Shubman Gill, having won the toss, opted to bat first. This is his first toss win as the skipper of the Indian Test side.
Former Indian spinner Anil Kumble rang the bell, and the play was about to begin. The two field umpires, Paul Reiffel and Richard Illingworth, walked out to the middle, and they were followed by the fielding side.
As the West Indies players walked out, they were spotted donning black armbands, which threw all into a moment of doubt. The armbands were revealed to be a tribute to former West Indian cricketer Bernard Julian, who died this week.
The West Indies players are wearing black armbands on day 1 as a tribute to former player Bernard Julien who passed away last week.
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) October 10, 2025
Julien was a member of the 1975 World Cup winning team. #INDvWI | #MenInMaroon pic.twitter.com/XCTQh8TuIR
Who was Bernard Julien? Know More
Bernard Denis Julien was a former West Indian cricketer born in 1950 on the Trinidad and Tobago islands. He played as an all-rounder as a right-handed batter and bowled left-arm pace and spin.
Throughout his career, having made his debut for the West Indies in 1973, he went on to feature in 24 Tests and 12 One-Day internationals. His ODI debut also came in the same year against England. His last played Tests as well as ODIs were against Pakistan in 1977.
He boasts the record of 5790 runs in ODI cricket and picked 483 wickets throughout his career, though his international career has been below par. In 24 matches, he amassed just 866 runs with an average of 30.92 and picked 50 wickets.
His greatest achievement as a cricketer includes winning the ICC World Cup 1975 under the leadership of Clive Lloyd. In 12 ODI games, the all-rounder picked 18 wickets and also scored 86 runs.
Shubman Gill is third on the unwanted list of Test captains
Shubman Gill was appointed the skipper of the Indian team after Rohit Sharma stepped down from the position of Test skipper. He captained India in 5 matches in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy but was unfortunate not to win a single toss on all of these occasions.
Shubman's first toss win came in the 7th Test match of his career as the skipper of the Indian side. Only a few skippers have had to wait for so long to win their maiden toss. Gill is third on this unwanted list of cricketers.
Most Tests as captain before winning a toss:
7 - Bevan Congdon
6 - Tom Latham
6 - Shubman Gill
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India National Cricket Team India vs West Indies West Indies Cricket Team ICC World Test Championship
