Team India's 'away jersey' has been a matter of much speculation and debate back home. After it was unveiled on Friday by the official apparel providers Nike, skipper Virat Kohli posed with the jersey ahead of the game against England on Saturday at Edgbaston. The jersey will also sport the slogan “#OneDay4Children”, commemorating the joint initiative between the ICC and UNICEF.
Kohli gave a thumbs-up to the new jersey. “I quite like it. For me, it's right up there. For me, it would be an 8 (out of 10 marks).”
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But he also said that the orange and blue jersey is a one-off thing and the Men in Blue would be back in their original colours soon. “I really like it (the orange and blue jersey) because it looks nice. The contrast is really nice. The fit is great. It's a nice change. For one game, it's fine. I don't think permanently we'll be heading in that direction because blue has always been our colour, and we're very proud to wear that. Yeah, for a change and looking at the occasion, I think it's a very, very smart kit.”
The ICC had for the first time introduced concepts of home and away jerseys in their marquee competition in England. As hosts, England retain their blue colours but India had to go for an alternate colour.
The Indian cricket team, in 1998-99, had sported a dash of orange or tricolour on their dark blue jersey.