India To Wear Black Armbands Against West Indies To Condole Arun Jaitley's Death

The Indian cricket team will wear black armbands on the third day of the 1st Test against the West Indies at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday. With this gesture, Virat Kohli and his men will condole the demise of former BCCI vice-president and ex-Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) chief Arun Jaitley, news agency ANI said in a tweet. The former Union Minister died on Saturday after a prolonged period of illness. He was 66. In the first Test of the two-match series, the West Indies are 189/8 and trailing India by 108 runs after two days' play in Antigua.

India captain Kohli took to Twitter to express his condolences on Jaitley's death.

"Shocked and saddened to hear about the passing away of Shri Arun Jaitley ji. He was genuinely a good person, always willing to help others. He took out his precious time back in 2006 when my father passed away to come to my home and pay his condolences. May his soul rest in peace," Kohli said in a tweet.

Shocked & saddened to hear about the passing away of Shri Arun Jaitley ji. He was genuinely a good person, always willing to help others. He took out his precious time back in 2006 when my father passed away to come to my home & pay his condolences. May his soul rest in peace.

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) August 24, 2019

Former India opener and BJP member of Parliament, Gautam Gambhir, who was close to Jaitley, said a part of him was gone with his demise.

"A father teaches u to speak but a father figure teaches u to talk. A father teaches u to walk but a father figure teaches u to march on. A father gives u a name but a father figure gives u an identity. A part of me is gone with my Father Figure Shri Arun Jaitley Ji. RIP Sir," Gambhir tweeted.

A father teaches u to speak but a father figure teaches u to talk. A father teaches u to walk but a father figure teaches u to march on. A father gives u a name but a father figure gives u an identity. A part of me is gone with my Father Figure Shri Arun Jaitley Ji. RIP Sir.

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) August 24, 2019

As he helmed the Delhi Districts and Cricket Association (DDCA), talented players from in and around the national capital emerged and flourished in the biggest stage.

Virender Sehwag, Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma, besides Gambhir, are some of the names that shone in international cricket with him at the top.

He was a cricket fan first and someone that every big name in BCCI would consult before zeroing in on any policy decision with regards to Indian cricket.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team Virat Kohli West Indies vs India 2019 Cricket West Indies vs India, 1st Test