Picture Credit: Twitter
The fourth Test between India and England kicked off with an anticipated start as the two teams duly showed their spirit to dominate each other since the start of the game. The contest at Kennington Oval began with the grit of Indian batters against the class of the England bowlers, after Joe Root won the toss and invited Virat Kohli and company to bat under overcast conditions.
However, soon after the toss, one thing that was noticed by the spectators was the black armbands that all the Indian players were wearing. This got some of the ignorant Indian fans guessing on what that could be for. Later, a tweet from BCCI on social media answered the question.
The apex cricket governing body of India revealed that the players have worn black armbands to honour the demise of Shri Vasudev Paranjape.
England capitalise after winning the toss
The toss at Kennington Oval was definitely going to be a key factor in the fourth Test. As mostly happened in the case of Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper lost the toss and Joe Root happily invited India to bat first.
"Going to make use of the overhead conditions. Looks like a good morning for bowling, we need to still hit the right lines and lengths, like we did at Headingley," said Root after opting to bowl first in the game. Notably, England have stepped into the game with two changes - Ollie Pope has replaced Jos Buttler while Chris Woakes has come in place for Sam Curran.
Kohli revealed that he too would have opted to bowl first had the toss gone in his favour. "We would have bowled first as well but toss isn't something you can control. Need to be prepared for either. We're looking forward to putting runs on the board," said the Indian skipper.
Talking about Team India, the side has rested Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami due to niggles. Meanwhile, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur replaced the players.