Why are India and England players wearing green armbands in 3rd ODI?

India National Cricket Team and England National Cricket Team are locking horns with each other for the one final time in the ongoing three-match series. The last ODI is taking place at the Narendra Modi International Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday (12th February).

India National Cricket Team have already bagged the series, having won the first two games of the series. They would be looking to tick all the remaining boxes and complete a 3-0 whitewash, heading into the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on high.

England National Cricket Team, on the other hand, had the worst tour as they lost the T20I series, and the same result unfolded in the ODIs as well. Hence, they would be keen to end the tour on high and go into the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with a win under their belt.

While the action between bat and ball has been enthralling in the ongoing series, one thing that caught the attention of many was the green armbands worn by players of both teams for the third ODI. It has made many speculate about as to why both teams are doing the gesture.

The two teams are wearing green armbands to support BCCI’s initiative “Donate Organs, Save Lives”. – BCCI’s statement

The reason behind that has been revealed now. Both India and England are wearing green armbands to support the organ donation initiative, which has been spearheaded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and ICC Chairman Mr Jay Shah.

Releasing the official statement, BCCI stated: “The two teams are wearing green armbands to support BCCI’s initiative “Donate Organs, Save Lives”. The initiative is spearheaded by ICC Chairman Mr Jay Shah. Pledge, spread the word, and let’s be a part of something truly meaningful.”

https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1889583819063214375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

England puts India into bat first in third ODI

Coming to the third ODI between the teams, visitors skipper Jos Buttler won the toss for the third consecutive time in the series and opted to field first. The 2019 World Cup winners made one change to their team, bringing in Tom Banton.

The Rohit Sharma-led side, on the other hand,made three changes. Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami were rested while Varun Chakravarthy wasn’t 100% fit. In their place, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav were added to the team for the match.

India and England playing XI for third ODI

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh

England: Philip Salt(w), Ben Duckett, Tom Banton, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Liam Livingstone, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood

Read Also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Gautam Gambhir ignores Rohit Sharma’s opinion on Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy’s selection