IND vs SA: South Africa take the knee for BLM; India join cause with different gesture

Indian and South African cricketers came together to send a strong message against discrimination ahead of the Boxing Day Test match on Sunday. While the South African team took a knee to support the 'Black Lives Matter' cause, Indian players placed their hands on their hearts to join the worldwide struggle and send a message of unity from one of the world's biggest sporting platforms.

Following the completion of both teams' national anthems, the players took to the field to begin the first Test. Before the on-field umpire signalled the start of the first innings, South African players knelt to demonstrate their anti-racism gesture. The team led by Virat Kohli joined in by placing their hands over their hearts, sending a strong message of solidarity at a time when the world is plagued by bigotry, particularly towards people of colour.

This isn't the first time the Indian team has made an anti-racism gesture. The Men in Blue were also seen kneeling during the 2021 T20 World Cup. Indian players took a knee in protest of prejudice in their first match of the tournament against Pakistan, while their Pakistani counterparts followed suit by placing their hands over their hearts. Racism has been directed at Indian athletes on various occasions, the most recent of which was the incident involving Mohammed Siraj in Australia.

India vs South Africa: Boxing Day Test

As far as the first Test match between India and South Africa is concerned, the Virat Kohli-led side won the toss and elected to bat first at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have opened the batting for India and were at the crease at the time of writing. The Proteas, on the other hand, have lost a review while challenging a decision involving KL Rahul. 

India Playing XI: KL Rahul (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.  

South Africa Playing XI: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Quinton de Kock, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi. 

Image: PTI