Why India, Australia players and umpires wearing black armbands in 2023 WTC final

 During the national anthems of India and Australia at the WTC final, players from both teams were seen wearing black armbands as a mark of tribute. The match, held at The Oval, featured Indian captain Rohit Sharma winning the toss and choosing to bowl first. As the players lined up, they displayed solidarity by wearing black armbands on their sleeves.

The armbands were worn to honor the victims of a tragic train accident that occurred in Balasore, Odisha. The collision between the Coromandel Express and a stationary iron ore-laden goods train resulted in over 280 fatalities and left more than 1000 injured. Several derailed coaches also crashed into the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express, making it India's deadliest railway disaster in the past 30 years.

Before the start of play on Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship final, the Indian Cricket Team observed a moment of silence to remember the victims of the Odisha train tragedy. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a statement expressing their condolences and announcing that the team would wear black armbands as a symbol of solidarity with those affected by the incident.

In the match itself, Mohammed Siraj provided the breakthrough for India by dismissing Usman Khawaja for a duck in the third over of Australia's innings. Australia only managed to score their first run in the fourth ball of the third over, as both Siraj and Mohammed Shami bowled impressive maiden overs early on. Notably, India chose to play Ravindra Jadeja as their sole spinner, omitting Ravichandran Ashwin, who currently holds the top ranking in Test bowling.

This is India's second appearance in the prestigious one-off Test match, having previously lost to New Zealand by eight wickets in the 2021 WTC final at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.