Why Are Indian Players Wearing Black Armbands: Team India are currently taking on Afghanistan in their Super 8 clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados. India won the toss and elected to bat first in this match with Rohit Sharma announcing one change in their Playing 11. It was Mohammed Siraj who had to make way for Kuldeep Yadav in what the Indian captain read as a surface which was going to get slow as the match progressed.
However, what caught the attention of fans soon after was that the Indian players were wearing black armbands. Notably, the news came in earlier in day that ex-India pacer David Johnson has passed away. Johnson played 2 Test matches for India and was part of India's playing 11 in the first-ever Border-Gavaskar Trophy. As a matter of tribute and a way of offering condolences, the Indian players could be spotted wearing the black armband in the IND vs AFG T20 World Cup 2024 clash.
READ HERE | David Johnson Passes Away At 52: Ex-India Pacer Found Dead Outside Apartment, Suicide Suspected
India Undefeated In T20 World Cup 2024 So Far
Notably, India have been undefeated in the T20 World Cup 2024 so far. While they started off with a win against Ireland, they then got the better of their arch-rivals Pakistan before tasting another against co-hosts United States of America (USA). Team India's final group-stage match against Canada was washed out in Florida.
India's ongoing match against Afghanistan is their first fixture against the USA with all the three matches that they played, having been competed in New York.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan (captain), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh