Indian and Sri Lankan players observe a minute's silence to pay respects to Shane Warne before play on Day 2
The Indian and Sri Lankan players observed a minute's silence before the play began on Day 2 at Mohali to pay their respects to former Australian players Shane Warne and Rodney Marsh, who passed away yesterday.
Players from both sides are also sporting black armbands today. Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne died at the age of 52 due to a suspected heart attack while he was in Hong Kong. The cricketing fraternity has been mourning his loss ever since the news came out yesterday.
The BCCI informed fans of the development by posting a short video on their official Instagram handle. They captioned the post:
"A minute’s silence was observed before the start of play on Day 2 of the first Test for Rodney Marsh and Shane Warne, who passed away yesterday. The Indian Cricket Team is also wearing black armbands today."
You can get live match updates on the match here.
"For me, he is the greatest spinner to play the game"- Virat Kohli on Shane Warne
Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli was heartbroken on hearing about the sudden demise of Shane Warne and paid an emotional tribute to him ahead of the play on Day 2 of the Mohali Test. Kohli stated that Shane Warne was the best spinner of all time. An emotional Virat Kohli said:
"Got the sad news about the demise of Shane Warne last night. It was out of nowhere, to be honest. We keep doing what we do and we think life is all about what we are involved in. I realize very quickly life is too unpredictable and fickle and need to be grateful for all the moments we are alive."
"He was an honest man. In any conversation, you could see he spoke clearly and knew exactly what he was saying. He lived life king-size. I am very grateful to have known him. For me, he is the greatest spinner to play the game. He brought charisma to every conversation he was part and with that, I could understand what he brought on the field as well.
Kohli also sent his heartfelt condolences to Warne's family and said:
"Passing away at age of 52 is totally unexpected. He went away too early. I stand here in disbelief and shock as I got to know him off-the-field too. I hope we can put the right perspective about life and just be grateful that God has blessed us with to be alive and healthy. My deepest condolences to their family, and they have all our support. God bless his soul."
India are motoring along well on Day Two and look set to post a good first-innings total. After the first hour of play, they reached 411/6 with Jadeja and Ashwin at the crease.