Zubeen Garg, one of India's renowned singers and cultural icons, passed away on September 19 in Singapore due to a scuba diving accident. Since then, tributes have poured in from all quarters with his native state Assam also announcing a three-day mourning as a mark of respect for him. On Sunday (September 21), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have also joined in with a tribute that will be done during the opening ceremony of the ICC Women's ODI World Cup in Guwahati on September 30.
The tournament kicks-off on October 1 with the tournament hosts India and Sri Lanka facing-off in a day-night fixture at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. According to sources, there is a 40-minute tribute programme planned by the BCCI and secretary Devajit Saikia stated that it was the Board's way of honouring the legendary singer who made a stellar impact on the country's music.
"There is a huge grief and tragic situation prevailing in Assam, following Zubeen's death. Keeping in consonance with that situation, and as a person who deserves some respect, the Assam Cricket Association and the BCCI will have a tribute programme during the opening ceremony. This will be our respect and tribute to Zubeen," said Saikia in a video posted by ANI.
#WATCH | Mumbai: BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia says, "...Recently, the music icon of Assam, Zubeen Garg passed away. Today, his mortal remains have arrived in Guwahati and it will be kept for 1-2 days for public homage. There is massive grief in Assam. So, keeping in consonance… pic.twitter.com/llBMjva7yM
— ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2025
In Garg's native state of Assam, mourning will continue till Tuesday and during this period, there will be no ceremonies or programs of entertainment or celebrations. Mandatory services will, however, continue to be in operation. Talking about the World Cup, Saikia is confident of India's chances in the tournament although defending champions Australia remain the frontrunners once again.
The recent India-Australia ODI series was a rollicking affair with the Aussies winning by a 2-1 margin. While Alyssa Healy's girls emerged victorious, they were stretched considerably and they also suffered their heaviest ODI loss ever in the second game of the series.
"It was a very keenly contested series, which Australia won by 2-1. But India played extremely well. Australia are a very good team, but India are catching up. And till now, India have not won any ICC women's trophy, so this is a big opportunity for the team to do well.
"As the matches are being held in India as well as in Sri Lanka, everybody is backing the Indian team. Recently, they have done extremely well in England also, which is a big achievement for the Indian team. So, Indian women's cricket has come of age. I am sure they will make a remarkable performance in the upcoming World Cup. I hope that the jinx will be broken this time."
