Virat Kohli, India’s captain, said the team’s decision to kneel before their T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan in 2021 was based on information from the management. Kohli expressed that the Indian squad’s kneeling gesture before their 2021 T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan was made after the team management informed them. The Indian team took a knee in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement before their T20 World Cup encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.

“The management relayed this information to us. The Pakistani team decided to contribute to the same cause, and we accepted our own part of the equation. That’s exactly how it was determined “In his post-match press conference on Sunday, Kohli stated. The Indian players were spotted kneeling outside the team dugout before the opening duo of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul stepped out to bat. Pakistani players, led by Babar Azam, also paid tribute by placing their right hand over their hearts. Since the killing of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis in May last year, athletes throughout the world, including cricketers, have taken the knee to show solidarity for the anti-racism cause.

For the first time, the Indian squad made the gesture. Last summer, the England and West Indies teams, as well as match officials, took a knee during their three-match Test series, the first in the sport’s history. India lost to Pakistan by a startling 10-wicket margin on Sunday, their first World Cup defeat against their arch-rivals. Looking forward to see how the rest of the matches go for team India!