Why do players wear black armbands during India vs England ODIs? | Cricket news

Indian players stand for a minute’s silence in honor of the late cricketer Garfield Sobers at the start of the third ODI between England and India at Lord’s Cricket Ground (AP Photo)

Players from India and England paid tribute to cricket legend Sir Gary Sobers by wearing black armbands during the third and final ODI at Lord’s on Sunday, two days after the West Indies great passed away.The gesture came ahead of the deciding series between the two sides at the iconic venue, with both teams paying tribute to one of the greatest all-rounders ever. Sobers, widely regarded as one of cricket’s greatest players, died on Friday, prompting tributes from across the cricketing world.The players took to the field with black armbands as a sign of respect before kick-off in London.The tribute came ahead of an important contest, in which India and England entered the third ODI level 1-1 after sharing the first two games of the series.England captain Harry Brook won the toss and elected to bat first, backing his side to take advantage of what he believed would be a good batting surface.“We’re going to have the bat today. It looks like a good surface; hopefully we can get a decent result at the plate and put them under pressure,” Brook said at the toss.England made one change to the playing squad, bringing on Josh Tongue in place of Saqib Mahmood.India was forced to make multiple changes, with Jasprit Bumrah ruled out after suffering reactive swelling in his left knee following a knock-on injury sustained while fielding during the second ODI in Cardiff.KL Rahul returned after missing the previous match while Prince Yadav and Arshdeep Singh also came into the side. Washington Sundar was not available due to injury.India captain Shubman Gill admitted that he would prefer to bowl first.“We would have bowled. Boom is missing with a knee injury. KL, Prince and Arshdeep are coming in. We were looking to play with four seamers. We were in a great position and lost too many wickets,” Gill said.The gentleman’s encounter also had added significance with the ODI World Cup less than a year away. England will look to Joe Root to continue his outstanding form after unbeaten knocks of 76 and 99 in the first two matches, while India will count on experienced players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to lead them to a series victory.However, before the cricket action began, the focus was on the memory of Sir Gary Sobers, as both teams united in paying tribute to one of sport’s most iconic figures by wearing black armbands.