IND VS AUS 2020: Team India and Australia players take part in Barefoot Circle to pay respect to ‘traditional owners of the land’

Ahead of the opening one-dayer of the series between Team India and hosts Australia, players from both sides took part in a Barefoot Circle to acknowledge Australia’s First Nations people, who were the traditional owners of the land, and also pay their respects to the country.

What is a Barefoot Circle?

Explaining the concept of Barefoot Circle, Cricket Australia said, "First Nations people of Australia have nurtured and taken care of this country for 65,000 years and by standing and acknowledging they pay respects to them and thank them for the incredible vibrant country we have today."

“The barefoot circle is a cricket centric way for players and teams to take a moment prior to matches to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land, connect to each other as opponents and pay respect to the country (land).

“This is done barefoot as a way to connect to country, but also a moment to reflect that we are all common ground, we are all human beings and we need to stand strong with each other, for each other. The circle is often part of pre-series activities and has started in Reconciliation Round as a stance of anti-racism, commitment to reconciliation and strength together,” CA further explains about the concept.

Cricket and cricketers take a stance

The concept of Barefoot Circle assumes greater significance in the times of Black Lives Matter movement, which has been gaining prominence across the globe protesting incidents of police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people.

The New Zealand and West Indies cricket teams will take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement before their T20 game at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, New Zealand captain Tim Southee confirmed.

West Indies Test captain Jason Holder and the team won an award for their endeavour to spread the anti-racism message following the brutal death of George Floyd in the United States this year

Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya also took a knee in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement during an IPL 2020 match against Rajasthan Royals in October.

Meanwhile, India and Australia are all set to kick-off their length series featuring three ODIs, as many T20Is and four Tests as part of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.