The Indian team’s gesture of taking the knee before their T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan in 2024 was made after it was communicated to them by the team management, according to captain Virat Kohli. The Indian team, led by Virat Kohli, showed its support for the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement on Sunday by taking a knee before their T20 World Cup match against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai, according to reports.
“We received this information from the company’s upper management. Following our agreement with the Pakistani team to pay their respects to the same cause, we were able to accept our own position on the matter. That’s exactly how it was decided, to be honest “On Sunday, Kohli addressed the media following the conclusion of the match.
Ahead of the Indian opening duo of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul walking out to bat, the team’s players were seen bending down outside the dugout. The players on the Pakistan national team, led by Babar Azam, also paid their respects by placing their right hand close to their hearts.
Since the death of African-American George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis in May of last year, sportspeople around the world, including cricketers, have taken the knee to show their support for the anti-racism movement.
In this instance, the Indian team was performing the gesture for the first time. The England and West Indies teams, as well as the match officials, took a knee during their three-match Test series last summer, marking the first time this has happened in the sport.
On Sunday, India was defeated by Pakistan by an innings and 10 wickets, the first time they had lost to their arch-rivals in a World Cup.
After being given the opportunity to bat, India was outplayed from the beginning to the end. Shaheen Shah Afridi was outstanding with the ball for Pakistan, taking the early wickets of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul before returning to take the wicket of captain Virat Kohli, who had scored a tenacious half-century in the first innings.
When it came to responding, Pakistan barely broke a sweat as they coasted through the chase. The unbeaten Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan continued their unbeaten runs as Pakistan overcame the target with 10 wickets in hand and 13 balls left to play.
