India have made the upper hand after the end of the second session in the fourth and final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Sydney.
Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first on a batting friendly pitch.
When the teams walked out for the national anthem, black armbands on the sleeves of the players from both the teams were seen. Mostly, cricketers around the world wear a black band as a token of respect to the deceased or in the case of any unfortunate event that occurs in relation to the sport or their country.
Here’s why Indian and Australian players wearing blackarm bands
The Indian players are wearing the black armbands as a tribute to late coach Ramakant Achrekar.
Achrekar, the person who shaped the careers of a few India internationals including Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli took his last breath in Mumbai, a day before the start of the fourth Test.
“As a mark of respect to the demise of Mr.Ramakant Achrekar, the team is wearing black armbands today,” the BCCI tweeted.
As a mark of respect to the demise of Mr.Ramakant Achrekar, the team is wearing black arm bands today. #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/LUJXXE38qr
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 2, 2019
Meanwhile, the Australian players are wearing the black armbands in the memory of former New South Wales batsman Bill Watson who passed away recently at the age of 87.
Australia are wearing black armbands today in memory of former AUS and NSW batsman Bill Watson who passed away recently aged 87. pic.twitter.com/BxKE5DG2ZM
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 2, 2019
