IND vs ENG; 1st Test: Why Are India, England Players Wearing Black Armbands?

India and England are locking horns in the first Test of the five-match series for the newly-minted Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley, Leeds.

Pic credit: BCCI

India and England players are wearing black armbands on day one of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy first Test at Headingley, Leeds on Friday, June 20.

Players are wearing black armbands as a mark of respect for victims who lost their lives in the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, earlier this month. Players, officials and crowd also observed a moment of silence before the national anthems of both teams.

"The Indian Cricket Team and the England Cricket Team observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash ahead of the start of play on Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds," the BCCI said in a statement. 

The Indian Cricket Team and the England Cricket Team observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash ahead of the start of play on Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds.

The teams are wearing the black armbands to express solidarity with… pic.twitter.com/Guxf1aO8iJ

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 20, 2025

On June 12, more than 240 people died when an Air India plane bound for Gatwick Airport in London, crashed just moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane crashed into the hostel of BJ Medical College located just outside the airport, with just one survivor found. 

A perfectly observed minutes silence.

This morning we remember those lost in the tragic Air India crash last week. pic.twitter.com/mEDsQPqVmH

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 20, 2025

IND vs ENG, 1st Test: Toss, Playing XI And More

Earlier, England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the first Test of the five-match series for the newly-minted Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

India handed Test debut to left-handed batter B Sai Sudharsan while seasoned middle-order batter Karun Nair came back into the playing XI after a long wait of eight years.

Playing XIs

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.