Why are West Indies players wear black armbands in the 2nd Test against India?

The West Indies players were seen wearing black armbands on Day 1 of the second Test against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Friday. The gesture was a mark of respect for former West Indies all-rounder Bernard Julien, who passed away last week. Julien was part of the historic West Indies team that lifted the inaugural 1975 World Cup under the leadership of Clive Lloyd.

Cricket West Indies confirmed the tribute through an official statement, saying, “The West Indies players are wearing black armbands on day 1 as a tribute to former player Bernard Julien, who passed away last week. All-rounder Julien was a member of the 1975 World Cup winning team.” Julien, who made his international debut in 1973, represented the Caribbean side in 24 Tests and 12 ODIs, scoring 866 and 86 runs, respectively. He also picked up 30 wickets in Tests and 18 in ODIs, proving his all-round abilities.

Meanwhile, the second Test began with India captain Shubman Gill winning the toss and opting to bat first — marking his first toss win as India’s skipper. India currently leads the two-match series 1-0, after an emphatic innings and 140-run victory in the first Test at Ahmedabad.

Team Changes and Playing XIs

India decided to field an unchanged lineup for the match, showing faith in their winning combination. On the other hand, the visitors made two changes, bringing in Tevin Imlach and Anderson Phillip in place of Brandon King and Johann Layne.

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IND vs WI 2nd Test: Playing XIs

India: 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: John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope, Roston Chase (c), Tevin Imlach (w), Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales.