In a recent statement on Sunday, Ashish Shelar, the honorary treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), put to rest any speculation regarding India’s attire for their upcoming ICC World Cup showdown with arch-rivals Pakistan on October 14. This highly anticipated match is set to take place at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Shelar unequivocally refuted media reports suggesting that Team India would be adopting an alternative match kit for this crucial encounter.
He emphasized, “We outrightly reject the unfounded claims circulating in the media about Team India donning an alternative kit against Pakistan. These reports lack credibility and seem to be the product of someone’s imagination. Our Men in Blue will proudly wear the traditional Indian colors – Blue – during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.”
It’s worth noting that during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, India did indeed sport an alternate kit. This move was prompted by the similarity in colors between England and India’s uniforms. To distinguish themselves, Team India opted for a deeper shade of blue with distinctive orange sleeves during their match against England.
India’s campaign in the World Cup 2023 has begun on a promising note, though faced an early hiccup, marked by a convincing victory over formidable opponents, Australia, in their opening fixture.
The batting prowess of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul was on full display, delighting fans. Chasing a target of 200 runs after getting Australia all-out for just 199 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, team India lost its 3 wickets for merely 2 runs. Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer, all departed without even scoring a single run. But then both Virat Kohli and KL Rahul added a 4th wicket partnership for 165 runs.
Kohli scored 85 runs before was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood. Meanwhile, KL Rahul missed out on a century by 3 runs as he remained not out for 97 runs as India won the match by 6 wicket. The Men in Blue will next take on the Men in Green Pakistan in Ahmedabad.
