Indian cricket team expressed unhappiness with practice jersey given by Nike

MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Pawan Negi in the pre-World T20 India camp in Kolkata

The lead-up to India’s campaign at the World T20 was almost euphoric till they came crashing down with a 47-run defeat to New Zealand on Tuesday, but it appears that there was further discontent in the camp earlier this month. The team was not happy with the colour of the practice jersey provided to them, and got it changed before the main phase of the tournament, according to Indian Express.

BCCI’s official apparel sponsor Nike has usually provided the team with practice jerseys in shades of blue or black, but opted for grey coloured shorts or tracksuits for the ongoing World T20. This change of colour was not to the players’ liking, who intimated their discomfort to the team management.

 

The BCCI was let known of the reservations against the colour grey, and they asked Nike for a replacement. The grey was replaced by blue in a new batch sent by the sportswear company, which reached the team one day before their last warm-up match against South Africa at the Wankhede.

Nike, BCCI and Team India jointly decide jerseys: Nike

A BCCI source has confirmed this development, saying, “Many players felt it was a very awkward colour where their T-shirt was blue and the lower half was in grey. The players just didn’t like the colour. The matter was addressed and the players were given new clothing later on. The players wanted blue or black shorts and track pants as their practice kit and it was done.”

However, the players reportedly are not happy with the later batch of practice jerseys either, with many struggling with incorrect sizes and faulty fittings. 

Nike has released an official statement about the issue, without going into details about the incident.

“Nike is the official apparel sponsor of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Since 2005, Nike has been bringing in cutting edge global innovations in cricket apparel and footwear to help elevate player performance on pitch. BCCI, Nike and Team India collectively determine what the team wears during every tournament. Nike recently launched the T20 national team kit and we have received great response from the players, the BCCI and consumers,” Nike said in the statement.

It is sincerely hoped that there are no similar issues with the match jerseys given to the players. After a stellar run of form in T20s since the start of the year, India have lost consecutive matches against South Africa and New Zealand.