India, England players wear black armbands, mourn Air India crash victims in Leeds

England and India wore black armbands in the first Test at Headingley, as a mark of respect to the victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad in June. India captain Shubman Gill, his England counterpart Ben Stokes and the rest of their teammates were seen wearing black armbands as they entered the iconic venue for the customary pre-match routines.advertisementThe two teams observed a minute's silence before the start of play on Friday, June 20."Both teams will wear black armbands today as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash," England cricket board said in a statement.
"Our thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible events that took place in Ahmedabad last week".ENG vs IND, 1st Test: UpdatesBefore the start of the Test match, India players wore black armbands during an intra-squad practice match in Beckenham and mourned the loss of lives in the plane crash. A London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into the campus of a medical college and burst into flames on June 12. All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the flight (AI 171) and another 29 people, including five MBBS students, on the ground were killed.A perfectly observed minutes silence.This morning we remember those lost in the tragic Air India crash last week. pic.twitter.com/mEDsQPqVmH— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 20, 2025advertisementA GOOD BATTING WICKET: GILLSpeaking at the toss, newly-appointed captain Shubman Gill was not too bothered after losing the toss, as he believed that the surface looked like one for the batters after the first session."We would've bowled first as well, you know. It's been a dry summer, hopefully there's going to be a little bit in the first session, but I think it's going to be a good batting wicket after that," Gill commented."Great day, you know, the sun is out and it's looking like a good batting day for us," he added.Speaking on the preparations, Gill was confident in the side after their practice games and the intra-squad match. He backed the team to be in the right space to open their World Test Championship (WTC) campaign for the 2025-2027 season on a positive."Preparation has been, you know, amazing. We were practising in Beckenham for the past 10 days we had a practice game. I think all the boys are feeling in a good space physically and mentally," he commented.NO EASWARAN, ARSHDEEP FOR 1ST TESTIndia handed Sai Sudharsan a debut in Leeds and brought back Karun Nair, who returned to the Test XI for the first time since March 2017. Prasidh Krishna joined Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as the third frontline pacer for the series opener.advertisementGill revealed that they have opted for a four-man fast-bowling attack with Ravindra Jadeja being the lone-spinner. Shardul Thakur was picked as the second all-rounder in the XI."We've gone with three fast bowlers and Shardul (Thakur) bhai, Sai (Sudharsan) makes his debut, and Karun comes back in." Gill also clarified that Sudharsan would come in at three.India's Playing 11 for Headingley Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

India Today

15 minutes ago

• India Today

ENG vs IND, 1st Test: Gill and Jaiswal smash tons as India's NextGen pummel England

India's next-gen stars headlined a dominating day on Day 1 of the first Test against England as Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) and Shubman Gill (127*) emerged as top scorers. A revamped Indian team, following the retirements of senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, walked out to play their first series without any of the trio for the first time since June there were no qualms in the young side, who couldn't have asked for a better beginning to their new era under the leadership of captain Shubman Gill as they finished Day 1 on 359/3 at Headingley, Leeds. A day highlighted by scintillating centuries from Jaiswal and Gill sent the message across to the entire world that even without the seniors, the new-look Indian team cannot be taken day began with England captain Ben Stokes winning the toss and putting India into bat first — a decision he ended up regretting at the end of the day. Tasked with the responsibility of seeing off the new ball, KL Rahul and Jaiswal showed great maturity at the crease, leaving deliveries outside off stump. ENG vs IND 1st Test Day 1 HighlightsRahul, Jaiswal give great startadvertisementThe duo quickly found their feet, feeding of loose deliveries from England, who looked clueless for the majority of the first session. As a result, Jaiswal and Rahul added 91 runs for the first wicket as India hoped to close out the session without any casualties. However, their plans were shattered by Brydon Carse, who got the edge of Rahul's bat to Joe Root at second balls later, Sai Sudharsan failed to impress on his debut, getting strangled down the leg side against Ben Stokes for a four-ball duck as India went into lunch on 92/2. In the second session, out walked Shubman Gill as the new captain of the Test side, determined to bail his team out of the hole after two quick at number four for the first time in his career, a place previously held by his idol Virat Kohli, Gill was up to the task as he did full justice to the sacred position. After surviving a close run-out chance on just his sixth ball, Gill gave no chances whatsoever to the England side as he batted with a strong resolve to prove his naysayers wrong with every India skipper raced to his half-century off just 56 balls, playing some sumptuous shots en route to his landmark. At the other end, Jaiswal also brought up his half century, playing second fiddle to his captain. However, he quickly shifted his gears and took giant strides towards the magical three-figure continues rapid rise in TestsadvertisementJaiswal was also spotted struggling with cramps as he moved into the 90s, but wasn't willing to return without having a three-figure score against his name. He brought up his hundred on the stroke of tea with a quick single and continued his love affair of going big in his first Test matches in overseas he was dismissed shortly after, being cleaned up by Ben Stokes from around the wicket. With India on 227/3 in the third session, England were hoping to turn things around with a flurry of wickets as the audacious Rishabh Pant walked out to bat. The wicketkeeper started in his usual fashion, using his feet against Ben Stokes on just his second ball and hitting him for a Gill arrives with a hundredIt also led to fun banter between him and Stokes, who was left amused by Pant's adventurous hit. After attacking initially, Pant reserved himself and batted quite uncharacteristically as India were unwilling to let go of a great the other end, Gill also played with caution as he neared his maiden overseas hundred. Staying true to his words from the press conference of aiming to become the best batter of the series, Gill batted with authority, finding the gaps in the field with the utmost also brought up his sixth Test century and etched his name into the record books, becoming the fifth India captain to achieve the landmark on captaincy debut. He reached the three-figure mark with a magnificent cover drive as if to pay tribute to the man whom he replaced at the batting Pant's audacious end to the dayAmid the classy shots from Gill's bat, Rishabh Pant also stole the limelight by playing in his usual berserk manner. He finally unleashed himself against Bashir after showing restraint for 40 balls. In no time, the trademark Pant shots came to the fore as he began charging down the track against both spin and seam, leaving England bowlers scratching their it was the last over of the day's play, it didn't matter to Pant, who continued to dance down the track, whacking bowlers all around the park. He finished the day on 65* (102), adding an unbeaten 138 runs with Gill for the fourth wicket, taking India to 359/3 at Watch

News18

15 minutes ago

• News18

Shubman Gill-Yashasvi Jaiswal Take India To 359/3 On Day 1 Of 1st Test Vs England

Last Updated: Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal's centuries lead India to 359/3 on Day 1 of the first Test against England. Skipper Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal's hundreds guided India to 359/3 at stumps on Day 1 of the first Test against England on Friday. Jaiswal achieved his fifth Test century just before tea, reaching the milestone in 144 deliveries with 16 boundaries and a six. Gill reached his hundred during the final session of the day, marking a brilliant start to his leadership. With this hundred, Gill joins an elite group of Indians, Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and ace batter Virat Kohli, who scored hundreds in their first Test as skipper. Jaiswal and Gill established a significant 129-run hundred for the third wicket after India lost KL Rahul and debutant B Sai Sudharsan in quick succession just before lunch. Vice-captain Rishabh Pant was batting on 65, giving Gill company when stumps were called. For England, skipper Ben Stokes bagged two wickets. Brief Scores: India: 359 for 3 in 85 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 101, Shubman Gill 127 not out, Rishabh Pant 65 not out; Ben Stokes 2/43, Brydon Carse 1/70). First Published: June 20, 2025, 23:30 IST

United News of India

16 minutes ago

• United News of India

Gill joins elite club with ton on Test captaincy debut

Leeds, June 20 (UNI) Shubman Gill marked his first outing as India's Test captain in spectacular fashion, slamming an unbeaten century on debut as skipper against England at Headingley on Friday. Gill's composed century came off 165 deliveries and placed him in an elite group of Indian cricketers who have notched hundreds in their maiden innings as Test captain — a distinguished list that includes Vijay Hazare (164 not out vs England, 1951), Sunil Gavaskar (116 vs New Zealand, 1976), Virat Kohli (115 vs Australia, 2014), and now Gill. Facing Josh Tongue on 74.2, Gill reached his century with a crisp cover drive for four, sparking an emotional celebration. He flung his helmet in the air, roared with a 'come on', and hugged Rishabh Pant at the non-striker's end before saluting the Indian contingent with arms wide open. 'This was one of his most fluent and assured innings,' remarked a former India international on air. Gill showed immense composure and control throughout, anchoring the Indian innings with elegance and intent, and looked every bit the leader at the crease. His knock not only stabilised the Indian innings on Day 1 of the first Test of the series but also officially signalled the beginning of the "Shubman Gill era" in Indian Test cricket. UNI BDN SSP