Fresh shirts sent after India players complain
Indian team’s kit manufacturers were on a firefighting mission on Tuesday, landing at the team’s optional practice session at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
The India team players had complained about the quality of apparel provided by sports goods giants, Nike.
The company sent fresh shirts from Bangalore to the team hotel near Pallekele. Its officials landed at the stadium before the team could reach and handed them to the players before the training session. MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey and Kuldeep Yadav attended the practice session.
The four-member team from Nike also met team officials and players. They were seen taking feedback from MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma on how they felt wearing the new shirts at the nets. Both were seen stretching the material to test it.
According to sources, the players didn’t feel comfortable wearing the shirts supplied to them and Nike rushed to address the issue. The new shirts provided by them would be tested further during Wednesday’s full training session ahead of the second ODI against Sri Lanka.
How the material withstands sweat after a full training schedule will also be tested.
Nike, which first signed up with BCCI in 2006, signed a fouryear deal last year, reportedly worth ~370 crore.