India vs Australia 2020: Australians to extend Black Lives Matter support

The Black Lives Matter movement has gained tremendous traction over time, with more and more people joining in an attempt to curb rampant racism. Several notable personalities have backed the movement and are actively involved in it as well. BLM has also made its way into cricket, with England and West Indies players taking a knee ahead in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. The Australian team is also set to introduce their own way of supporting the cause.

India vs Australia 2020: Australian players to take part in a barefoot circle 

The Australian side received flak from certain sections of the society for not taking a knee during their England tour. Vice-captain Pat Cummins, in a conversation with reporters, revealed what the team intends to do regarding the matter. Cummins claimed the team is going to ensure they do their bit for anti-racism. 

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Pat Cummins revealed that the squad would stand in a barefoot circle ahead of their games to send a strong message against racial injustice. Through this practice, Australians aim to hail the traditional owners of the land. Cummins feels that nothing can be more appropriate to raise awareness regarding the issue. He also admitted that the squad has acknowledged the backlash they received for not taking a knee in the past and have had discussions regarding what practices can be undertaken in the future. 

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Apart from this, Cummins is of the opinion that educating people is also very necessary. This is why the players are striving to learn more about Australian history in particular. The approach of coming together as a team for anti-racism by also promoting the indigenous culture of the nation will reap dividends, as per the fast bowler.

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India Vs Australia: Full squads 

India squad for Australia 2020

Team India T20I squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (vice-captain and wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan.

Team India ODI squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vice-captain & wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper).

Team India Test squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Siraj.

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Australia squad for India 2020

Australian squad for ODI and T20I: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Pat Cummins (vice-captain), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Australian squad for Tests: Tim Paine (captain and wicket-keeper), Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

Image source: Cricket Australia Instagram