In observance of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who died in Delhi on Thursday, Indian players wore black armbands as they started the second day of the fourth Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
In a post on X, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stated that the Indian cricket team was wearing black armbands in remembrance of Dr. Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister of India, who passed away on Thursday.
AIIMS has confirmed that age-related medical issues were the cause of Manmohan Singh’s death at the age of 92. He was taken to AIIMS Delhi after experiencing a sudden loss of consciousness at home, where he was pronounced deceased.
“With profound grief, we inform the demise of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, aged 92. He was being treated for age-related medical conditions and had a sudden loss of consciousness at home on 26th December 2024. Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency at AIIMS, New Delhi at 8:06 PM. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 PM,” AIIMS said in a statement.
A number of former cricket players, including Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and VVS Laxman, paid tribute to the former Prime Minister on social media after his death, lauding his leadership and important achievements to the Indian economy.
After Dr. Manmohan Singh passed away, former cricket players Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan Pathan, Gautam Gambhir, and Suresh Raina also sent their condolences.
Born in Punjab in 1932, Manmohan Singh was India’s prime minister for two terms, from 2004 to 2014. After the Congress defeated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA in the 2004 Lok Sabha election, he took the oath of office for the first time.
2009–2014 was his second tenure in office. In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi succeeded him. After 33 years in the Rajya Sabha, he announced his retirement earlier this year.