The International Cricket Council (ICC) has formally allowed the Test playing nations to sport their names and numbers on the back of their white T-shirts. This will mean in a few month’s time we will see Team India skipper Virat Kohli wearing his 18 and also sporting his name on the back. It will be a whole new experience for the Indian team as they haven’t experienced anything of this kind in the past.
The move has been taken by the ICC in order to popularize the longest and the most traditional format of the game. The English county sides and the Australian state sides are used to wearing white flannels with name and number on it’s back. India will play their 2nd match of the ICC Test Championship against Windies with the numbered white T-shirts.
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“Yes, it starts from August 1 for the World Test Championship. It is a part of the wider plan to promote Test cricket,” Claire Furlong, ICC’s GM Manager (Strategic Communications) was quoted as saying by PTI on Friday. In all likelihood, the Indian team will not use two specific jersey numbers in Test cricket especially No 10 which was used by the great Sachin Tendulkar and possibly No 7 which is used by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
There was a controversy surrounding Shardul Thakur when he wore the No 10 jersey during an ODI match in Sri Lanka. Later BCCI decided to officially retire the number which the master wore. In all likelihood, Dhoni is also expected to receive the same treatment. Meanwhile, the induction of jersey numbers and names in Test cricket made former English skipper Michael Vaughan delighted.
“Delighted to hear Names & Numbers will potentially be on Test playing shirts .. About time .. Add a bit of colour as well .. make the Shirts more inviting for Kids to want to wear .. Test cricket has to become more commercial .. CUE .. A lot of abuse !!!,” Vaughan had tweeted.
India has been the No 1 Test team for quite a long time now and they have enjoyed their sensational run in the longest format of the game. They did a couple of series in South Africa and England last year but they made amends after winning their first ever Test series in Australia. It was a great team effort by the visitors which saw them break the deadlock.