Reason why England cricketers are wearing black armbands in Chepauk Test

India and England are up against each other for the first Test, taking place at Chepauk Stadium, Chennai. The two heavy giants of the cricket world will lock horns for the four-match Test series, and the first two matches will be played in Chennai. Winning the toss, the visitors have decided to take on the field with bats first. An unusual thing attracted a lot of attention as England players are up on the field while wearing black armbands.

This time around, the black armbands are not a symbol of supporting any worldwide movement but a mark of respect for their war veteran. The guests are wearing black armbands to pay their respect to the inspirational war hero, and fundraising hero Captain Sir Tom, who died this week after struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. He was 100-year-old while he succumbed to his illness.

England won the toss and are up with their willows

England are up on the field with their willows and are currently playing at 37/0 after 15 overs. Rory Burns and Dom Sibley are up as openers have gained quite momentum. It will be a thing to see how India uses its playing XI to turn the situation in their favour. Indian skipper Virat Kohli is back to the squad and is playing his first Test match of the year.

In the latest turn of events, all-rounder Axar Patel got ruled out of the first Test match after he complained of an injury pain in his left knee. Shahbaz Nadeem and Rahul Chahar have been roped in as his replacement. The luck played out too well for Nadeem as he landed in the playing XI of India for the first Test match. India’s victory would be crucial from the series as it will cement their place in the finals of the World Test Championship, where New Zealand have already bagged one spot.

India’s playing XI for Chennai Test

Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma.