Virat Kohli played for India A to prepare himself for the upcoming Sri Lanka series © Getty Images
Chennai: The ‘A’ teams of India and Australia along with match officials paid tribute to former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam before the start of play in the second four-day first class match between the two cricketing sides at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Wednesday. The players observed two-minute silence and wore black arm bands in memory of Kalam who suffered a massive cardiac arrest and collapsed during a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Shillong on Monday evening. As news of his death spread like wildfire, many former and current Indian cricketers took to social media to offer their condolences and remember him for the man he was. READ: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam passes away: Twitter reactions from world of cricket
Many cricketers including VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar took to social media to pay their tributes to the former President. Kalam served as the President of India between 2002 to 2007. Kalam has often being referred to as the ‘People’s President’ for his humility towards the citizens. He is loved by students and children across the country and has often opened the doors of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to let children in. READ: Sachin Tendulkar pays homage to Late APJ Abdul Kalam
There will be a seven-day national mourning in Kalam’s honour and his last rites will be performed at his hometown of Rameshwaram on July 30 2015. PHOTO: APJ Abdul Kalam with Indian cricketers