Australia vs India: Both squads form the Barefoot Circle ahead of the opening ODI

The much-awaited contest between India and Australia is all set to kick off from today. Before opening one day series between India and hosts Australia, both the squads came up to take part in the Barefoot Circle ceremony. The players of both teams took part in the Barefoot Circle event to give tribute to Australia’s First Nations people, who are considered as traditional owners of the area. The ceremony also paid respects to their nation.

Cricket Australia stated that ‘First Nations people of Australia’ took care of the land for around 65,000 years. By standing in the circle, the players acknowledge their efforts and pay respect to them for maintaining the incredible and vibrant land the country has today. The players have to take part in the ceremony barefoot to maintain respect towards the traditional owners.

“The barefoot circle is a cricket centric way for players and teams to take a moment prior to matches to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land, connect to each other as opponents and pay respect to the country (land,” stated Cricket Australia as quoted by Sportskeeda.

The ceremony takes place during the pre-series event as it reflects that all are part of the common ground, and all are human beings in the first place. In the same manner, they need to stand with each other to maintain their commitment to anti-racism and reconciliation.

This is done barefoot as a way to connect to country: Cricket Australia

“This is done barefoot as a way to connect to country, but also a moment to reflect that we are all common ground, we are all human beings, and we need to stand strong with each other, for each other. The circle is often part of pre-series activities and has started in Reconciliation Round as a stance of anti-racism, commitment to reconciliation and strength together,” CA added further.

The Concept of Barefoot Circle has larger significance in today’s world where nations are stepping up to show their support for the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign. The players New Zealand and West Indies team will also take a knee ahead of their series at Eden Park in Auckland to show respect for the same.