Indian cricket players wore specially designed Army caps as a tribute to the Armed forces during the third ODI match against Australia at Ranchi on Friday.
Before the toss, former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni presented his Indian teammates with the cap. The 37-year-old is an honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army.
#TeamIndia will be sporting camouflage caps today as mark of tribute to the loss of lives in Pulwama terror attack and the armed forces
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 8, 2019
And to encourage countrymen to donate to the National Defence Fund for taking care of the education of the dependents of the martyrs #JaiHind pic.twitter.com/fvFxHG20vi
During the toss, captain Virat Kohli said that they are donating "match fees of this game to the Nation's Defence Fund" and also urged all the Indians to "donate and stick to the families" of the Armed Forces.
To pay homage to the martyrs of Pulwama Terror Attack, the players will donate today's match fee to the National Defence Fund #JaiHind pic.twitter.com/vM9U16M8DQ
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 8, 2019
Earlier, Indian players saluted the Indian Air Force after it bombed the terror camps at Balakot in Pakistan, in response to the Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel.
For the first time, Kohli won the toss in the series and he opted to bowl first. India were unchanged, while Aussies made one, bringing Jhye Richardson in for Nathan Coulter-Nile.
India led the five-match series 2-0.
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