New Delhi: The men in blue have stolen the show with their performance — entering the ICC World Cup finals undefeated, and being the only country to do so during the ongoing tournament. However, a parallel spectacle is being witnessed in the stands that have transformed into a sea of blue, as fans show their support by donning Team India jerseys, no matter which team is playing.
And not just in stadiums, cricket-crazy Indians are sporting Indian jerseys at match screenings in corporate settings, clubs, housing societies, sports bars and restaurants. During this World Cup, the Indian jersey has become the best fashion statement anyone can make.
“Watching the match wearing the jersey is a great feeling. That feeling of being Indian, supporting your team…It also helps establish an unsaid connection with the other fans. You feel like a part of the community, a part of the team,” Siddharth Dahiya, a 22-year old content creator, says.
Dahiya bought the original Indian team jersey from Adidas, the official kit sponsor for Team India, for Rs 5,000. He also chose to customise the jersey — something Adidas offers to do for free — with his name and the number 28, his date of birth.
“There is definitely a growth in jersey culture among my friends. We all have IPL jerseys, I have that of Delhi Capitals. I’ve had an India jersey for some time now, and got this world cup one recently,” says Dahiya, who bought his first jersey when he was eight.
And it’s not just ardent cricket fans like Dahiya who have been drawn into the jersey culture. Rashmi Gupta, 30, bought the Indian team jersey to “embrace the sporting spirit” at a family screening of the semi-final between India-New Zealand. “Everybody in India loves cricket, and so do I. However, this is the first time I’ve bought a jersey… the Indian team has been playing so well, there is so much excitement. I, too, wanted to show my support for the team.”
Talking about the rise of jersey culture, Saurabh Virmani, owner of SMG IMPEX — a Haryana-based company that makes sports apparel for state cricket associations and IPL teams as well as the national team under the brand name VANY — says this started with the English Premier League. “In India, this culture picked up when the IPL, which is similar to the club system, started. In the IPL, everybody wanted to support their team and the jersey was one way to express that support.”
Virmani himself is an ex-Ranji player who was a fast bowler for Haryana but had to quit following an injury in 2007. He says that while people in India have always been going to watch matches and support Team India, they never really wore the team jersey as there wasn’t much awareness and the jerseys also weren’t available that easily.
“When I used to play cricket, I couldn’t get the Indian team’s jersey. It was a moment of pride to get to wear that logo and players had to work hard to get it. It was only when big brands came in as commercial sponsors that they pushed this culture, because they wanted to make money. They pay so much money to the BCCI for sponsorship and have to generate revenue somehow. So they pushed this jersey culture. Adidas managed to do this really well this time. Nike — which has been a long-standing kit sponsor for the national team — wasn’t able to do this that well,” he said.
He adds that the demand for jerseys this time has got a boost because of the strong performance of the Indian team. “That also ethuses fans and everybody wants to show their support and are like ‘jaana to blue mein hi hai (will watch match in the team jersey)’.”
India have had a dream run this World Cup, winning all their matches, and will play Australia in the finals Sunday.
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Different sizes, same spirit
Their easy availability — whether original or counterfeit — has made it easier for the jerseys to become the must-have fashion this World Cup season. While the original men’s India cricket jersey is available for Rs 4,999 at Adidas, duplicate jerseys are easily available in the price range of Rs 500-Rs 2,000 at local markets and outside stadiums.
“Jerseys are very easily available now. This, too, has pushed their demand. Not just Adidas, duplicate jerseys are also available to users and the difference between original jerseys and duplicates is very difficult to make out. These are available at a low price…The vendors are lined up for up to 2 kms near the stadium, selling jerseys, flags and other accessories at much cheaper prices,” Virmani said.
In the local market in Noida, cricket jerseys are available at three price points — Rs 500, Rs 800 and Rs 1,200, depending on the quality of fabric. One of the owners of the shops selling these jerseys says, “Since these jerseys are not original, we avoided selling them initially. But as India progressed strongly through the World Cup, demand for these jerseys hit the roof and everyone, including us, started sourcing and selling them.”
While the shopkeeper says demand for jerseys isn’t unusual during a tournament such as the World Cup, he acknowledges that it has gone beyond expectations this time. “We sold out all our stock before the match between India and Netherlands. We restocked before the semi-finals, and have very little stock left. This time people are also buying in bulk… They want to go to the stadium wearing the jerseys. People are throwing house parties for screening the match or going to restaurants to watch, and everyone wants to wear jerseys to these events too.”
Virmani says that for players, too, seeing the stadium doused in blue is a great source of motivation. “When you enter the ground to play and see the sea of blue…seeing that so many people are cheering for you, supporting you…it gives the player a boost. For example, in the IPL, some teams actually give out jerseys or flags or caps or cheering sticks free of cost, so that people can show support and motivate them more.”
For fans too, jerseys tend to bring not just a sense of pride but also a sense of community and belonging. Abhishek Madhukar, a 39 year-old banker-turned-entrepreneur, said, “I feel that the jersey culture with football is growing in cricket now because of the fan following of players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. There’s a feeling of belonging. I don’t have an IPL jersey, but definitely an India jersey.”
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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