ICC World Test Championship final: India, Australia players wear black armbands for victims of Odisha train tragedy

Indian and Australian players, along with umpires, paid tribute to the victims of Friday's horrific train accident in Odisha by wearing black armbands during the 2023 World Test Championship final at The Oval in London. India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first. 

After the toss, both teams were seen wearing the bands on their sleeves when they lined up for the two countries' national anthems. The players observed a minute’s silence to pay solidarity to the victims of the train crash in Odisha. 

At least 280 died and more than 1,000 were injured on Friday after the Coromandel Express collided with a stationary iron ore-laden goods train at Bahanaga Bazar station near Balasore in Odisha. Minutes later, some of its derailed coaches then crashed into the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express.  

In a statement issued in memory of train accident victims, BCCI said: “The Indian Cricket Team will observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Odisha train tragedy ahead of the start of play on Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship final at The Oval. The team mourns the deaths and offers its deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who tragically lost their lives. To express solidarity with those affected, Team India will wear black armbands.”  

On the match front, the Rahul Dravid-coached side got an early breakthrough after Mohammed Siraj took Usman Khawaja’s wicket, who went back for a duck on the fourth ball of the third over of the Australian innings.  

India have opted to play Ravindra Jadeja as their sole spinner, thus leaving out Ravichandran Ashwin who is the top-ranked Test bowler in the world. 

India and Australia are competing for the greatest prize in Test cricket as the two face off in the second World Test Championship Final. 

India qualified for the 2023 World Test Championship Final second on the points table with 127 points and 58.8 Points Percentage System (PCT).  

During the 2021-23 cycle, India lost its series in South Africa and drew a five-match series in England. India won all the test series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Australia and another away series triumph in Bangladesh. 

On the other hand, Australia topped the points table with wins in all three home series during the 2021-23 cycle including a 4-0 Ashes thumping. Besides this, the Pat Cummins-led team registered a 1-0 in Pakistan and a 1-1 draw in Sri Lanka before losing 2-1 in India. 

India and Australia are competing for the greatest prize in Test cricket as the two face off in the second World Test Championship Final. 

Playing XIs 

 India XI: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Srikar Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav. 

Australia XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland. 

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