India-Sri Lanka cricketers wear black armbands in Mohali to pay respects to Shane Warne, Rodney Marsh

Mohali, March 5: India and Sri Lanka cricketers on Saturday (March 5) wore black armbands as they stepped into the field on the second day of the opening Test at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

The players from both teams sported the black armbands as a show of respect to legendary Australia spinner Shane Warne - who passed away at the age of 52 on Friday (March 4) evening.

Warne - the greatest ever spinner the game has seen - died of a heart attack in his villa in Thailand, sending the cricketing world into shock. Cricketers, commentators and fans across the globe expressed their shock over the sudden demise of the greatest the game has ever seen.

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The leg-spin wizard cemented himself as someone who's revived leg-spin in his Test career which spanned 15 years. The former Victoria and Hampshire player has made a lasting impression on the game with his charismatic character both on and off the field.

Shane Warne

Before the start of the game on Saturday, the Indian and Sri Lankan players lined up on the pitch to observe a minute of silence in the memory of Warne and legendary Australia wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh - who had also passed away on Friday.

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The BCCI shared a video of India captain Rohit Sharma before the start of play on day two in which the Mumbaikar hailed the legendary spinner and expressed his disbelief and offered his condolences to the former cricketer's family and friends.

"Absolutely devastated to hear the news of Shane Warne passing away. It's a huge huge loss in our cricketing world. Condolences to his family. His three children and the loved ones," Rohit said.

Warne inspired a generation of young players to bowl leg-spin and build a career in the gentleman's game. His haul of 708 wickets across 145 Test matches is the second-highest number taken by any bowler and just one of several records set across his career.