On the third day of the third Test match against England, why are Indian players wearing black armbands?

At the beginning of the third day of the third Test between India and England, at Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah Stadium, the visitors were leading after two days of play. However, India’s bowling display has significantly improved. On the third day of the Test match, Team India took two wickets rather quickly and will now have to go on getting them even without R. Ashwin in the lineup. Later in the session, Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Ben Duckett to propel India to victory. That being said, it was really odd to see every Indian player wearing black armbands.

In honor of Dattajirao Gaekwad, the oldest Test cricket player in India, who died away in Baroda, Gujarat, on Tuesday, February 13, the Indian players wore black bands around their arms. The BCCI declared in a statement on X (previously known as Twitter) that “Team India will be wearing black arm bands in memory of Dattajirao Gaekwad, former India captain and India’s oldest Test cricketer who passed away recently.””

At the age of 95, Datta Gaekwad, who made his debut for India in 1952, passed away. The Indian cricket community expressed their condolences for the veteran player. Day 3 is when India will try to honor the late batsman with a magnificent performance; if the morning session is any guide, England may be out of the match very fast in the first innings.

In the current game, India amassed 445 runs in the first half, but England batted excellently to put them on edge. Nevertheless, the third-day comeback keeps the hosts in the game, and they will need to remember that R. Ashwin won’t be available for the remainder of it, both at bat and with the ball.