The first Test between England and India will see all the players wearing black armbands and observing a minute of silence for the victims of the plane crash.
The incident, which occurred on June 12, took the lives of 272 people after the Air India aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport. The plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel, and it's believed that only one man survived. This tragedy had a major impact worldwide.
Rishabh Pant Vows to Uplift Nation with Test Series Win After Tragic Crash
Rishabh Pant, Vice Captain of the Indian Test team, expressed his grief over the incident and promised a win in the Test series to bring back some lost joy across the nation.
“What happened with the aircraft, the whole of India was saddened by it,” Pant said.
Rishabh Pant highlighted the added responsibility:
“The only thing from our side, we’re going to be sticking to how we can make India happy again,” he added.
“The emotion is going to be high always because of what happened in the crash, but at the same time, we are going to put our best foot forward for the country. How we can make them happy is an added responsibility.”
Both Indian and English players will partake in this moment, wearing black armbands and observing a minute of silence before the match begins at Leeds.
Shubman Gill Ushers in a New Era as India Begins WTC 2025–27 Journey
The new era of Indian cricket is here as India faces its biggest challenge yet, entering the new WTC Cycle 2025–2027. This also marks the beginning of the Indian Test team post-Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. New captain Shubman Gill will take up the mantle and lead India in the 5-match Test series.
Shubman Gill was optimistic while addressing questions during the press conference ahead of the first Test. One major highlight came when he was asked about the style of play India would adopt in the series—especially in relation to 'Bazball'. To that, Gill responded that everyone would have to wait till August!
Stay tuned for more updates on the India tour of England 2025
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