- Wednesday, April 24, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday (13) unveiled the new jersey that Team India will sport in the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup to be held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman starting October 17. The new blue jersey is named “Billion Cheers Jersey” and the patterns on it are inspired by the fans’ billion cheers.
“Presenting the Billion Cheers Jersey! The patterns on the jersey are inspired by the billion cheers of the fans. Get ready to #ShowYourGame @mplsports. Buy your jersey now on http://mplsports.in,” a tweet from BCCI read.
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Presenting the Billion Cheers Jersey!
The patterns on the jersey are inspired by the billion cheers of the fans.
Get ready to #ShowYourGame @mpl_sport.
Buy your jersey now on https://t.co/u3GYA2wIg1#MPLSports #BillionCheersJersey pic.twitter.com/XWbZhgjBd2
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 13, 2021
The jersey was launched by MPL Sports, the official kit sponsors of India’s men’s, women’s and under-19 cricket teams, besides the board. It will replace the navy blue retro jersey inspired by India’s 1992 World Cup kit which the players have been wearing since their tour of Australia last November.
The Indian team will don the new jersey for the first time when they play England in a practice match on October 18 followed by Australia on October 20. India’s official journey in the tournament begins on October 24 when they take on arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai.
India are in Group 2 which also includes besides the arch-rivals, Afghanistan and New Zealand and two teams that are yet to be determined.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said the best way to celebrate the fans’ excitement and is through the new jersey. This is the first time that fans of Indian cricket have been memorialised on a jersey. It carries their chants and cheers from past games transformed into unique soundwave patterns.
“The Indian cricket team enjoys support not just in India but around the world, and there’s no better way to celebrate their excitement and energy than through this jersey. This will undoubtedly provide the team with the much-needed enthusiastic support in their quest to emerge as the T20 champions of the world. We are also pleased to see that MPL Sports continues to deliver merchandise that is widely affordable and accessible,” Ganguly, a former India captain, said.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah said, “We are excited to unveil the official jersey today and make it available for supporters ahead of the T20 games in partnership with MPL Sports. The story behind the jersey is the story of every Indian cricket fan. We are sure that wearing this will be a matter of great pride for both the team and supporters alike.”
India captain Virat Kohli said the design of the jersey was striking. “We have immense respect for our fans and this makes the official jersey even more special. The design is quite striking and distinct from the ones we have sported in the past while also delivering on comfort and performance to enable us to give our best. All of us are thrilled to don the new colours, show our game and make our billion-plus fans proud,” he said.
Kohli will be leading India for one last time in the T20 format and he will look to win his first ICC trophy as the Indian skipper. India’s only world title in T20 came in 2007 when Mahendra Singh Dhoni led them to victory in the inaugural edition held in South Africa.
