THE EVOLUTION OF THE INDIAN TEST JERSEY

Team India will debut a new Test jersey kit, courtesy of a new sponsor at the WTC in Southampton, England, later this month. It is nothing like what we have got used to over the years

- Alshaar Khan

The cricket jersey has emerged as one of India’s leading symbols of unity over the last few decades. Endless moments of triumph and nostalgia involve these jerseys, even when sometimes it is publicly stripped off to make a statement, like Dada did in the 2002 Natwest Series final. But despite the thrill and instantaneous rush of limited-over cricket, the purest, most special respect is reserved for the elusive whites — the Test jersey — which only a privileged group of 302 Indians have been lucky to wear so far.

Even the Indian skipper and one of the greatest limited-overs batsmen of this era, Virat Kohli, has admitted that nothing comes close to flaunting the whites. “What a blessing to be able to play Test cricket for India,” he had once posted on his Instagram.

The Test jersey’s design has stood the test of time, barring minor nips and tucks to accommodate sleeve sponsors. The minimalism persisted, as Test cricket evolved over the last century from being an exclusive England-Australia affair to a global fan favourite (against popular perception, 86 per cent fans prefer Tests over other formats, according to a recent poll conducted by the Marylebone Cricket Club).