The ‘Men in Blue’ have made the Indian cricket jersey a prized possession for every cricket fan in the country. Every little boy who loves the game grows up hoping one day he’ll have a jersey with his own name and number if he gets to join the team. The jersey has gone through many changes over the last couple of decades or so. Let’s take a look at 10 of the most memorable ones:
1. The 1980’s jersey
This was a lucky jersey for India in many ways, as the sky blue and yellow kit is what they donned during Kapil Dev’s reign when India lifted the World Cup in 1983 and then progressed to the semi final stage of the 1987 edition.
2. The early 1990’s jersey.
The primary colour shifted from a sky blue to a much darker navy blue, and the jersey was complimented with stripes of red, white, blue and green. Although a bold shift in colour and design pattern, the jersey proved unlucky for the team who managed only two wins in the World Cup.
3. The mid 1990’s jersey.
A throwback to the colours of the 80s, the jersey, worn by the team during the home World Cup was a light blue, with yellow stripes and a yellow collar. This was the jersey worn during the semi final exit to Sri Lanka, and the subsequent dark period of Indian cricket.
4. The late 1990’s jersey.
This was made to look a lot more patriotic, with the indian tri-colour featuring as stripes on the side of the jersey. Many fans will remember this as the jersey worn by the Indian team during Sachin Tendulkar’s famous “Desert Storm” in Sharjah.
5. 1999 World Cup Jeresy.
This jersey was specially made prior to the 199 cricket World Cup, and was one of the most intricately designed cricket jerseys at the time, and was hugely popular among Indian cricket fans. India were knocked out in the Super Sixes stage.
6. The 2003 World Cup jersey.
The main sponsors were Sahara, and the jersey designed for the 2003 edition of the ICC World Cup was a simple looking one, with a primary shade of light blue, black on the sleeves, and the tricolor painted across the front. India went on to reach the finals of the tournament in South Africa.
7. 2007 Jersey.
The light blue jersey was one among the new fabric technology being used by sporting giants Nike. The year saw a great rise and fall in Indian cricket, with the shame of being knocked out of the ICC Cricket World Cup by Bangladesh, and then following that up by winning the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa under MS Dhoni.
8. Late 2000’s jersey.
The dark blue was brought back, and this was the first jersey to prominently use the blue-orange combination which has remained in all Indian jerseys since. It was made of a breathable fabric, and boasted extra comfort for the cricketers.
9. 2011 World Cup jersey.
The 2011 World Cup was a memorable event for Indian cricket fans. A few slight tweaks were made to the previous jersey, with the blue colour being lightened to a certain degree. The jersey was very special for the Indian team as they went on to lift the World Cup wearing it.
10. 2012 Model Jersey.
Although this jersey was never worn in a competitive cricket match by the Indian team, it was modeled by Yuvraj, MSD and Kohli, who had become the face of Indian cricket after the world cup win. The jersey had a lighter shade of blue and had the tricolours painted onto the shoulder area. A very patriotic jersey indeed.
11. Thermal wear-like 2015 jersey
At first sight, it looked like the jersey was made of thermal wear, with sequential lines running from top to bottom along the front of the shirt.
12. T20 World Cup 2016
13. The latest OPPO jersey
By Aravind Harish
