India, Australia to pay homage to Phil Hughes ahead of 1st ODI

Australia and India are likely to pay homage to late Phil Hughes on Friday when they take on each other in the first of the three-match ODI series. 27th November 2020 will mark the sixth death anniversary of the late Australian cricketer. Incidentally, India were in Australia when the former cricketer had passed away.

Hughes tragically died at the age of 25 after being struck by a bouncer while batting for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match on Nov. 25, 2014, against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He was taken to the hospital but eventually lost his battle. The deceased cricketer was wearing a helmet, but the ball struck at an unprotected area just below his left ear.

Hughes had sustained a brain hemorrhage and died two days later without regaining consciousness at a nearby hospital, leaving the entire cricket world shell-shocked and sad. He was just three days short of his 26th birthday at the time. The former cricketer played 26 Tests and 24 ODIs for Australia between 2009 and 2014.

As a tribute to Hughes, Australia and India are expected to stand for 63 seconds of applause in his memory. The teams have decided to come up with the gesture to recognize Hughes’ final unbeaten score in cricket. Australia will also wear black armbands featuring Phil Hughes’ initials on his sixth death anniversary.

India and Australia renew rivalry

Soon after paying homage to Phil Hughes, India and Australia will renew their famous rivalry on the field. India are in Australia for three ODIs, as many T20Is, and four Tests. Both the teams have already met once this year when Australia toured India in January for a three-match ODI series. India had won the series 2-1 after losing the series-opener.

The upcoming series will be also India’s first since the coronavirus pandemic brought the cricket world to halt in March. Australia, on the other hand, are gearing up for their second series after resuming action in September with a tour of England.