WTC final: Indian players to wear black armbands in Milkha Singh’s honour

"A legacy that inspired a whole nation to aim for excellence. To never give up and chase your dreams. Rest in Peace #MilkhaSingh ji. You will never be forgotten," Kohli shared a picture of him

Southampton: The Indian players taking the field against New Zealand in the World Test Championship final at the Ageas Bowl will be sporting black armbands as a mark of respect for track legend Milkha Singh, who passed away in Chandigarh on Friday night.

India skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday mourned the demise of Milkha Singh and said the track legend’s legacy inspired the whole nation to aim for excellence. “A legacy that inspired a whole nation to aim for excellence. To never give up and chase your dreams. Rest in Peace #MilkhaSingh ji. You will never be forgotten,” Kohli shared a picture of him with the legendary athlete on Twitter.

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BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said the legend made young Indians dream of becoming an athlete. “Extremely saddened by this news ..RIP ,India’s one of the greatest sportsman..you have made young Indians dream of becoming an athlete..had the privilege of knowing you so closely..” he wrote on Twitter.

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said Milkha made everyone believe that nothing is impossible. “Saddened to learn about Milkha Singhji’s demise. He inspired a generation of Indians and made us believe that nothing is impossible. Condolences to @JeevMilkhaSingh,” Jay Shah tweeted.

Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to field first in the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final. Incessant rain saw the opening day’s play being washed off at the Ageas Bowl on Friday.

Squads: India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

New Zealand: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling(w), Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.