Indian players in Third Test wear black armbands for Dattajirao Gaekwad
In the ongoing Third Test against England, Indian players are honoring former India captain Dattajirao Gaekwad, who passed away recently, by wearing black armbands. Gaekwad, aged 95, was the oldest living Test cricketer in India and had served as the captain during India’s tour of England in 1959. He also led Baroda to victory in the Ranji Trophy in the 1957-58 season.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Team India would pay tribute to Gaekwad by wearing black armbands during the match.
Despite the tribute, India faced the third day of the Test in Rajkot without star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who withdrew due to a family medical emergency. On the previous day, Ashwin achieved a milestone by taking his 500th Test wicket, becoming only the ninth bowler in Test history to reach this mark and the first Indian after Anil Kumble.
Day 2 of the Test concluded with England making steady progress, reaching 207/2 and narrowing the gap to just 238 runs behind India’s first-innings total.
