NEW DELHI: Both Indian and Australian players paid tribute to the victims of the tragic Odisha train accident by observing a one-minute silence before the start of the World Test Championship final at The Oval on Wednesday.
As a mark of respect and solidarity, the players from both teams also donned black armbands during the match.

“The Indian Cricket Team will observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Odisha train tragedy ahead of the start of play on Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship final at The Oval.
The team mourns the deaths and offers its deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who tragically lost their lives. To express solidarity with those affected, Team India will wear black armbands,” BCCI tweeted.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma won the toss and asked Australia to bat as India is looking to win their first ICC title in the last 10 years.

The Rahul Dravid-coached side went in with a four-pronged pace attack and preferred Ravindra Jadeja over seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
A similar combination helped India defeat England by 157 runs when they last played a Test at the Oval in 2021, when Ashwin was also omitted.