Prior to their intra-squad practice match held in Beckenham the Indian cricket players and their support staff paid their respects to the victims of the recent Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. They were seen wearing black armbands as a mark of mourning and observed a minute of silence in remembrance of those who lost their lives. The tragic incident occurred on Thursday, June 12 when an Air India passenger plane, en route from Ahmedabad to London, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport. The flight was carrying a total of 242 passengers and crew members.
The unfortunate crash resulted in a significant loss of life. Initial reports indicated that only one person on board survived the accident. As the situation unfolded, the total death toll was reported to have risen to 265 after the aircraft collided with a medical college complex.
The airline disclosed the composition of the flight, stating that it carried 230 passengers, including 69 Indian citizens, 53 British nationals, seven individuals from Portugal, and one Canadian. Additionally, there were 12 crew members on board the ill-fated flight. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also confirmed that a minute of silence was held before the commencement of the practice match. This was observed as a sign of respect and in remembrance of the lives tragically lost in the Air India plane crash.
"The players and members of support staff involved in the intra-squad game in Beckenham are wearing black armbands," the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wrote.
"A minute's silence was also observed today to pay homage to the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash, as a mark of respect for the lives lost and solidarity with the affected families," the BCCI added.
The intra-squad match between Team India and India A is slated to be played from June 13 to June 16. However, the team management decided that the practice match between India and India A would be played without any spectators present. Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not officially disclose the specific reason behind this decision, it is widely speculated that the lack of first-class status for the match led to the decision to keep it a private affair.
India A squad for England tour:
Abhimanyu Easwaran (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (vice-captain/wicket-keeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harsh Dubey
India Test squad for England Tour:
Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper/vice captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav