 "India captain Rohit Sharma and his England counterpart Jos Buttler seen sporting green armbands during the third ODI in Ahmedabad. Image credit: X/@englandcricket")
The three-match ODI series between India and England came to an end on Wednesday with the Men in Blue completing a 3-0 sweep after winning the third one-dayer by a dominant 142-run margin in Ahmedabad. Powered by Shubman Gill’s seventh ODI hundred (112 off 102 balls), India had posted a humongous 356 on the board after England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to field.
The visitors were bundled out for 214 in reply, failing to capitalise on a solid start that their openers provided in the form of a 60-run partnership as the Indian bowling department produced a superb collective effort to ensure the target was well beyond the Englishmen’s reach well before the final wicket had fallen.
As It Happened | India vs England, 3rd ODI in Ahmedabad
There were plenty of standout performances from batters and bowlers alike, from Gill posting his third consecutive fifty-plus score and Virat Kohli returning to form with a knock of 52 off 55 balls to England spinner Adil Rashid collecting 4/64.
What also stood out in the third ODI at Ahmedabad’s iconic Narendra Modi Stadium was the fact that players from both teams were seen sporting green armbands.
Wearing black armbands in a common practice in sport, including in cricket, to mourn the passing of a noted individual. So what then was the purpose of these green armbands?
Why players were wearing green armbands during third India-England ODI in Ahmedabad
The green armbands are representative of the BCCI’s organ donation initiative in Ahmedabad, the city that hosted the third one-dayer.
“Both teams are wearing green armbands to support the BCCI’s initiative, ‘Donate Organs, Save Lives’. The initiative is spearheaded by ICC Chairman Mr Jay Shah,” the BCCI said in a statement.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia head coach Gautam Gambhir has pledged his organs on the launch of the ‘Get a life’ initiative while Indian cricket stars Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, KL Rahul and several others endorsed the organ donation drive in a video posted by the BCCI.
During the 24th over of the Indian innings, the giant screen at the Narendra Modi Stadium had stated that 12,000 organ pledges had been made since the start of the match.