The West Indian players were seen wearing black armbands on Day 1 of the second Test against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Cricket West Indies (CWI) issued a statement that the players are wearing black armbands as a tribute to Bernard Julien, who passed away aged 75.
Julien, the left-arm quick and who played as an all-rounder, was part of West Indies' 1975 World Cup win. The Trinidadian had chipped in with a vital 26 off 37 deliveries in the final against Australia at the Lord's Cricket Ground. Although Julien went wicketless in his 12 overs in the final, he was the second-highest wicket-taker in that tournament with 10 scalps.
Shubman Gill wins his first toss in 7 attempts and opts to bat first in Delhi
Team India captain Shubman Gill finally won the toss after suffering five losses in the department as the hosts have opted to bat at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. While the home side are unchanged, West Indies have triggered two changes, bringing in Anderson Phillip and Tevim Imlach for Brandon King and Johann Layne.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
West Indies (Playing XI): John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope, Roston Chase(c), Tevin Imlach(w), Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales.
West Indies have multiple issues to address after being toothless with both bat and ball in Ahmedabad, where they suffered an innings defeat. Should the West Indies win, it will be their first Test victory over India since 2002. Team India openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have already got off to a solid start and have looked untroubled thus far.
Hence, the tourists might have to prepare for a long day on the field.
