India vs Australia T20: Players from both countries came out wearing 'black bands', here's the reason

MELBOURNE (The Uttam Hindu): Indian and Australian players wore black armbands in tribute to Australian club cricketer Ben Austin during the second T20I match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

17-year-old Ben Austin was preparing for a T20 match at Ferntree Gully in Melbourne's Outer East on Tuesday. A sidearm ball struck him on the neck, injuring him. Although he was wearing a helmet at the time, it lacked a steam guard. This mistake proved fatal. Austin was immediately rushed to Monash Children's Hospital, where he passed away on Wednesday. The Ferntree Gully Cricket Club announced Ben's death on Thursday. Players from both countries, as well as match officials, wore black armbands during the match in honor of Ben Austin. Earlier, on Thursday, players from India and Australia wore black armbands during the second semi-final of the Women's World Cup 2025.

Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first in this ongoing match in Melbourne. Team India is led by Suryakumar Yadav. Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah are also part of the squad. Australia, led by Mitchell Marsh, also includes Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Short, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Josh Hazlewood. The first match of the five-match series between the two countries was abandoned due to rain, and both countries will now be looking to win this match to gain a lead in the series. The remaining three matches are scheduled for November 2, November 6, and November 8.