ICC Champions Trophy 2025 (1st Semi-final) India vs Australia: Why are Indian players wearing armbands?

India and Australia are battling in the first Semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where the Indian players are wearing armbands. Here we will know the reason for Indian players' armbands. 

Former Indian first-class cricketer Padmakar Shivalkar passed away on Monday (March 3) in Mumbai. The 84-year-old was unwell for the last few months. Although he never played for the Indian national cricket team, he was one of the legendary Indian domestic cricketers for Mumbai. He continued the game till the age of 47 years. 

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Padmakar Shivalkar took 500+ first-class wickets

The slow left-arm orthodox bowler Padmakar Shivalkar was active in domestic cricket between the 1961-62 and 1987-88 seasons. He recorded 515 wickets in 112 first-class matches and 36 wickets in 12 List A games. He was one of the greatest bowlers in Mumbai cricket history. 

Padmakar Shivalkar shined in key Ranji Trophy matches

During the 1971-72 Ranji Trophy Semi-final, Shivalkar recorded an eight-wicket haul and a fifer against Mysore (8/19 & 5/31). In the 1972-73 Ranji Trophy Final, the left-arm spinner recorded his best bowling figures with 8/16 and 5/18 against Tamil Nadu.

Despite his consistent performances, he missed his luck to wear the national team cap. As the legendary left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi was dominating for India at that time along with off-spinners Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, and leg-spinner Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, as the four were popularly known as the Indian spin quartet.

The Indian cricket board, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), honoured him with the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. It is the highest honour from the BCCI.