IND vs ENG: Why India players are wearing black armbands on Day 3 of Rajkot Test?

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IND vs ENG: On Day 3 of the ongoing third Test at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, India players were spotted wearing black armbands in the memory of former Test captain Dattajirao Gaekwad who died ahead 95 on Tuesday, February 13 in Baroda.

Dattajirao was the father of former India batter and coach Aunshuman Gaekwad. He played 11 Tests for India between 1951 and 1962, and scored 350 runs at an average of 18.42. He was India's captain during their 1959 tour of England. Dattajirao Gaekwad also played 110 first-class matches and scored 5788 runs (17 hundreds) at an average of 36.40.

“Team India will be wearing black arm bands in memory of Dattajirao Gaekwad, former India captain and India’s oldest Test cricketer who passed away recently,” the BCCI said in a statement shortly before the third day’s play got underway here at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.

Dattajirao Gaekwad became India's oldest living Test cricketer in 2016 after the death of former batter Deepak Shodhan at the age of 87 in Ahmedabad.

IND vs ENG: India without Ashwin in Rajkot

Meanwhile, star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the ongoing Test to be with his mother who is not well in Chennai. Ashwin competed his landmark 500th Test wicket on Friday.

"The BCCI extends its heartfelt support to the champion cricketer and his family. The health and well-being of the players and their loved ones are of utmost importance. The Board requests respect for the privacy of Ashwin and his family as they navigate through this challenging time," the BCCI release said in a release.

The onus will be on Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav to take care of the spin department in his absence. India scored 445 runs in the first innings, and England finished Day 2 at 207/2. However, Kuldeep Yadav struck twice and Jasprit Bumrah got the big wicket of Joe Root in the first session of Day 3 to bring India back in the contest.