Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka won the toss and opted to bat first. As both sets of players walked onto the ground for the national anthems, the visitors were spotted wearing black armbands, a gesture usually meant as a mark of respect for someone who has passed away.
Cricket teams often do this when a prominent member of the cricketing fraternity passes away. Earlier this week, the news had emerged that former India men's captain and coach Aunshuman Gaekwad had lost his battle with blood cancer at the age of 71.
Rishabh Pant has been benched for India’s first ODI against Sri Lanka, while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to 50-over cricket for the first time since the 2023 World Cup final.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) August 2, 2024
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/Pew5kzAbL6 pic.twitter.com/iGIdGaY6S2
India pay tribute to Aunshuman Gaekwad
Gaekwad represented India on 55 occasions (40 Tests and 15 ODIs) in the 1970s and 1980s, scoring just shy of 2000 runs in the Test format. After retiring, he served as the team's head coach on two separate occasions, in 1997-1999 and 2000 and also took up an administrative role with the Baroda Cricket Association.
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The former captain had garnered a reputation as a tough and gritty cricketer, and served as an inspiration for several players who played under him. When he was diagnosed with blood cancer, Gaekwad confided in former teammate Sandeep Patil regarding his financial troubles.
Patil, along with 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev and several members of that team worked towards raising funds for Gaekwad's treatment. The BCCI had also pledged INR 1 crore towards Gaekwad's medical bills last month, after a public plea from Dev.
Speaking ahead of the first ODI, Indian captain Rohit Sharma spoke about his personal connection to Gaekwad: "On a personal note, when I was playing first-class cricket, he was there to watch. I had the chance to speak to him and he had a few things to talk about my game as well which was overwhelming for me because he's been such a great cricketer for us.
"Condolences to his family obviously, it's not a good time when you lose your loved ones. It's always tough, but I was lucky I had a few chances to meet him and talk to him."
Gaekwad's passing was mourned by many in the Indian cricketing community, including BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
One of the them left us recently.
— Nimish Dubey (@nimishdubey) August 2, 2024
Another celebrated his birthday recently.
Grit, Grace, Technique and Flair take a break.
Anshuman Gaekwad, Gundappa Vishwanath, Sunil Gavaskar and Sandeep Patil.
Just chilling… pic.twitter.com/Qe1at6kbII
My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr Aunshuman Gaekwad. Heartbreaking for the entire cricket fraternity. May his soul rest in peace🙏
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) July 31, 2024
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