IND vs ENG: Why is India wearing black armbands in World Cup 2023 match against England in Lucknow?

IND vs ENG, ODI World Cup 2023: Team India members were wearing black armbands as a mark of respect for former captain Bishan Singh Bedi, who passed away last Monday, aged 77.

India players line up during the national anthems before the match. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Team India members were wearing black armbands during its sixth ICC World Cup 2023 match against England in Lucknow on Sunday.

The team led by Rohit Sharma was wearing the armbands as a mark of respect for former India captain and legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi, who passed away last Monday, aged 77.

Bedi played 67 Tests for India between 1967 and 1979 and picked 266 wickets. He also took seven wickets in 10 One-Day Internationals. He played a key role in India’s first ODI win. His miserly bowling figures of 12-8-6-1 restricted East Africa to 120 in a 1975 World Cup fixture. 

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The Amritsar-born spinner, who plied his trade for Delhi on the domestic circuit, is the leading wicket-taker amongst Indians in First-Class cricket with 1,560 wickets in 370 matches.

Bedi was also one of the most successful overseas players in the English County cricket circuit, too. He featured for Northamptonshire in 102 outings, between 1972 and 1977, and bagged 434 wickets for the Northants, the most by an Indian in County cricket.