Indian players began the second day of the fourth Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) wearing black armbands as a mark of respect for former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who passed away in Delhi on Thursday.

“The Indian Cricket Team is wearing black armbands as a mark of respect to former Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh who passed away on Thursday,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a post on X.

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Manmohan Singh, aged 92, died due to age-related medical conditions, as confirmed by AIIMS. He had a sudden loss of consciousness at home and was rushed to AIIMS Delhi, where he was declared dead.

“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 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.

Following his passing, several former cricketers, including Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Gautam Gambhir, and VVS Laxman, took to social media to pay tribute to the former Prime Minister, praising his leadership and significant contributions to the Indian economy.

Former cricketers Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, and Shikhar Dhawan also expressed their condolences following the death of Dr Manmohan Singh.
Manmohan Singh, born in Punjab in 1932, served two terms as Prime Minister of India- from 2004 to 2014. He took the oath of office for the first time in 2004, after Congress’ win in the 2004 Lok Sabha election against Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA.
He served his second term from 2009 to 2014. He was then succeeded by PM Narendra Modi in 2014. He retired from the Rajya Sabha earlier this year after serving for 33 years in the house.