India vs West Indies: Why West Indies players are donning black armbands in the Delhi Test? - Revealed

The India vs West Indies second Test is underway at Delhi's iconic Arun Jaitley Stadium, and the West Indies players have been spotted donning the black armbands to pay tribute to the former World Cup-winning West Indian all-rounder. 

India and the West Indies played the first Test on the 2nd of October at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India dominated the Test, with two hundreds from openers KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja and the maiden century from wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel. 

The Windies faced a humiliating defeat in the first Test at Ahmedabad, where the Indians clinched a stunning victory by 140 runs and an innings. The West Indies have included some new players in the Playing XI, as they are expected to show resistance in the second Test. 

Why are West Indies cricketers wearing Black armbands? 

The India vs West Indies second Test begins at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, with skipper Shubman Gill leading from the front, having won his first toss as the captain of the Indian team. 

Former Indian spinner Anil Kumble rang the bell, and the play was about to begin. The two field umpires, Paul Reiffel and Richard Illingworth, walked out to the middle, and they were followed by the fielding side.

The West Indies players walked to the middle of the pitch as they were spotted donning black armbands, which raised doubts about their intentions. However, it was revealed that they were paying tribute to former West Indian cricketer Bernard Julian, who died this week.

Who was Bernard Julien? Know more about the 1975 World Cup winner 

The former West Indian cricketer Bernard Denis Julien was born in 1950 on the Trinidad and Tobago islands. He played as an all-rounder for the Windies side and was known as a right-handed batsman and a left-arm pace and spin bowler. 

He made his debut for the West Indies in 1973 and went on to feature in 24 Test matches as well as 12 ODI matches for the Men from the Caribbean islands. He boasts an exceptional record of having scored 5790 runs in 195 first-class matches and also picked 483 wickets throughout his career. 

In his international career, he amassed 866 runs in 24 Tests at an average of 30.92 and went on to pick 50 wickets as well. However, his greatest achievements include winning the 1975 World Cup with the West Indies. 

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