The 2023 World Test Championship final at The Oval features India, Australia, and umpires wearing black armbands. On Wednesday, India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first, following which the two teams queued up for the national anthems wearing the bands.
Armbands honor the victims of Friday’s railway disaster in Balasore, Odisha. The Coromandel Express crashed with a halted iron ore-laden freight train at Bahanaga Bazar station at 7pm on Friday, killing 280 and injuring over 1000. In India’s greatest railway tragedy in 30 years, some derailed carriages hit the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express.
India, Australia, and umpires wear black armbands in 2023 WTC final.
“The Indian Cricket Team will observe a moment of silence in memory of the Odisha train tragedy before Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship final at The Oval. The crew mourns and condoles with the families and friends of those who died. “Team India will wear black armbands in solidarity with those affected,” the BCCI announced.
Usman Khawaja’s duck off Mohammed Siraj’s fourth delivery of the third over gave India the breakthrough. Australia scored on the fourth delivery of the third over after Siraj and Mohammed Shami bowled maidens. Ravindra Jadeja is India’s solitary spinner, replacing Ravichandran Ashwin, the world’s best Test bowler.
India returns to the flagship one-off Test match. They lost the 2021 WTC final to New Zealand by eight wickets at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.