India, England players pay homage to Jayalalithaa before start of Chennai Test

India and England players observed a minute’s silence before the start of the Chennai Test to pay homage to Tamil Nadu’s iconic politician, Jayalalithaa, who died following illness

India and England players observed a minute’s silence before the fifth Test on Friday to pay homage to former Tamil Nadu chief minister, Jayalalithaa, who died following illness on December 5. (SCORECARD)

India and England players observed a minute’s silence for Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu’s iconic politician who died in Chennai on December 5 due to illness.(Photo by:BCCI)

The Indian squad members wore black armbands with both teams observing a minute’s silence before the national anthem was played. (UPDATES)

Jayalalithaa, 68, died following a long period of hospitalisation but the news was received calmly by the public as there was concern over how emotional members of her AIADMK party would react.

The state had just finished observing a seven-day mourning when it was braced for the fury of Cyclone Vardah, which struck Chennai on Monday, killing over 10 people in the state and thousands of fallen trees all over the metro.

The groundsmen at the MA Chidambaram stadium did an excellent job to protect the pitch and square to ensure the Test started promptly. A sharp spell of overnight rain too did not delay the match.

Both Ravichandran Ashwin and Murali Vijay, key members of the team hailing from Chennai, tweeted their condolences over the death of Jayalalithaa and on the suffering caused by the cyclone.