Thursday, 22 January 2015 00:29
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In a busy year that includes defending its Cricket World Cup title, the Indian one-day team has – as they say in the language of India’s bureaucracy – “done the needful” and dealt with one of the most pressing matters straight off the bat: What on Earth to wear.
The team’s new outfit was unveiled Thursday, one month before India’s World Cup campaign begins with a match against bitter rival Pakistan in Adelaide. That should give the players plenty of time to get accustomed to the kit, which India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni described as “an improvement over the previous one.”
At first glance, the old and new outfits look remarkably similar. The new one is still blue, which is good as the team is called the Men in Blue. And it still has India written across the front, which is good as the team is also called India.
There are subtle differences that the Board of Control for Cricket in India has helpfully pointed out to highlight the technological advances included in the new getup. Firstly, the shirt is a different shade of blue, it said.
But the most-significant aspect of the new wardrobe is that it is made out of 100% recycled polyester, which the BCCI says gives the fabric “enhanced stretchability and moisture releasing qualities.” At last! The designers of sports apparel are sparing a thought for the fat, sweaty fans who for years have squeezed into, and spilled out of, replica jerseys.
The BCCI added that the garb, because it is made from recycled material, plays a role in conserving the environment. There is also no evidence that it is a threat to endangered animals, like whales and tigers.
“We feel socially responsible as a unit wearing this kit and doing our bit for the environment,” the BCCI quoted Indian bowler R. Ashwin as saying. He didn’t say how he felt as an individual wearing the kit.
“I have been told that the one pair of shirt and trousers is made out of 33 plastic bottles in all,” he said. Really, he said that.
The players had input in the new design, which is probably why Dhoni & Co. look so serious in the official photo taken at its debut in Melbourne on Thursday. Or perhaps they had only just been told that their pants were made from bottles.
“There has been constant interaction between Nike and the players,” the BCCI quoted Dhoni as saying. “We all gave them our inputs and a lot of them have been passed…It looks good.”
He added that the strands on the front are made from the national flag, which “gives a bit of feel to it.” It wasn’t immediately obvious what Dhoni was talking about. A picture tweeted by Indian cricket official Sundar Raman said the crafted detail included “patriotic graphic elements,” which suggests it might feature an image of Sunny Leone singing the national anthem.
Fashion guru-cum-cricketer, Virat Kohli was inevitably involved in the design too. “One thing that I have stressed for the last couple of years is the fit,” the BCCI quoted India’s new test cricket captain as saying. “If you’re fit, you should have clothes that make you look good as well,” he said, cruelly poking fun at all those cricketers from previous decades whose kits were so baggy they could have doubled up as spinnakers.
The World Cup follows India’s tri-series against Australia and England, with India taking on its old rival Pakistan the day after Valentine’s Day. There will be no love lost there. Not to be outdone by its neighbour, Pakistan also unveiled a new kit on Thursday. The Express Tribune newspaper described it as light green and with horizontal lines on the front. It wasn’t immediately clear how the Pakistani uniform would help the environment. (Source: http://blogs.wsj.com)
