For decades now, Cricket’s popularity in India has been exponential. The sport has transcended all possible human emotions and has become nothing short of a religion. And just like skull caps are denoted to Islam and Turbans are denoted to Sikhism, the Indian Cricket Team Jersey is denoted to the religion of cricket. The Iconic blues, since the first time they came out, have been an item of interest among Indian cricket fans with enthusiasts lining up to buy their national side’s jerseys. But there is a rich history tied to the Indian cricket jerseys that we wear today which not many people know about.
History and Evolution Behind Indian Cricket Team’s Jersey
Pre-1985 Indian Jersey
Before 1985, teams across the globe did not wear coloured jerseys. In fact, every national team used to wear all-whites. But with colourised TV becoming popular, everyone shifted from the All-Whites to coloured jerseys. For example, in the 1983 World Cup, Kapil Dev and co. can be seen wearing all-whites throughout the campaign. So, in India, even this blank white jersey holds historical importance.
1985 India Jersey
Making its debut in the 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship in Australia was India’s first-ever coloured Jersey. It had a light blue hue to it with a yellow stripe running horizontally in the middle and around the collars.
1990 India Jersey
The second edition of the Indian jersey saw a sky blue colour with three yellow stripes in between. This jersey had three thinner yellow stripes running horizontally through the centre of the jersey and didn’t have the big single stripe the earlier version had. The yellow on the collar was also taken away.
1992 India Jersey
1992, marked an important year in the history of the Indian Jersey. This was the first time when the name of the country, “India” was printed on the Jersey. It also was the first time the Jersey was coloured a dark navy blue, a colour that the Indian Jersey would every now and then shift to. It also had a zigzag pattern of sky-blue and yellow lines running horizontally across it.
1992 WC India Jersey
This was the first time that teams wore Coloured jerseys in a Cricket World Cup. India’s first edition of its WC Jersey collection had a navy blue hue with India written in yellow in bold. The shoulders had a unique 4 striped band which had the following colours, sky blue, green, dark orange, red, and white.
1993 India Jersey I
India reverted back to their iconic sky blue for a brief period and had a yellow and navy blue stripe running along vertically on the right side.
1993 India Jersey II & 1994-1995 Jerseys
With this jersey, India started a trend of incorporating a lot of yellow into their jerseys. A trend which lasted for the next 2-3 years.
First up was a full Light Yellow jersey with the name “India” printed in the same colour on a light blue stripe running across horizontally.
Second, in 1994 was a similar jersey with a slanting “India” this time in sky blue. This was the first Jersey in which the jersey had sleeves that were in a different colour than the primary colour of the jersey. The sleeves were in light blue which was in contrast to all the yellow.
Two more Yellow-based jerseys came out in 1994 with one having thin blue stripes running vertically while the other had a brighter shade of yellow with a grey and blue block at the bottom of it.
In 1995, the yellow colour took a backseat and featured primarily on the shoulders of the jersey.
1996 World Cup Jersey
This jersey had yellow stripes in the bottom half and a yellow colour with the dominant colour being the iconic sky blue.
1996 Indian Jersey
This jersey caused some controversy since it had what resembled a German flag in its design. There were stripes of red, yellow, and black placed only for aesthetics, unintentionally representing Germany. The colour scheme was still mostly sky blue with the Ashoka Chakra making its first appearance on the jersey as it was placed in the bottom right corner.
1997 Indian Jerseys
The first one had a massive Ashoka Chakra across the torso of the Jersey. The second one reverted back to the yellow trend of Indian jerseys with dark blue stripes on the shoulder sleeve.
1998 Indian Jerseys (Four Jerseys)
The year 1998 saw 4 different Indian Cricket Team Jerseys with one of them being very iconic. The second jersey of the year had the Indian Tricolour on it. This was the first time the Indian Tricolour had featured on an Indian Cricket Team Jersey hence making it a very memorable moment. Even the 4th Jersey had the tricolour on its sleeves.
1999 World Cup Jersey
In the 1999 World Cup, the Indian team used a very iconic design. It had an arc of the Ashoka Chakra sprawled across it with a Bright Yellow design dotting its boundary. The same year, India used 3 different iterations of the sky blue kit.
2000 India Jersey
A central Ashoka Chakra was seen branding the Indian kit with dark blue sleeves. 3 jerseys were introduced this year.
2001 Indian Jersey
This year sparked what would be an iconic part of the Indian Jersey for years to come. From 2001 to 2013, Sahara India Pariwar sponsored the Indian Cricket Team. This partnership saw “Sahara” printed in the centre of the Indian jersey along with “India”.
2002 Indian Jersey
For the first time since the inception of coloured Jerseys, India sported an All-Sky Blue jersey with the only thing standing out being the word “India” printed in bright yellow in the middle.
2002-07 Indian Jersey
The year 2022 also sparked a cultural change with regards to jerseys with now, there being less frequent changes in the Indian jersey. This particular jersey remains the longest-standing Indian Jersey of all time. It was in use from 2002 till 2007 and rose quickly in popularity. It incorporated a Tricolour Paintbrush textured slanting stripe with “India” written in Yellow. The jersey itself was of the iconic Indian sky blue. But there was one single exception to the use of this jersey, during the 2003 World Cup.
2003 World Cup Jersey
The main difference between this one and the one that the team used for a large part of the 6 years simultaneously was that this one had the Indian Tricolour stripe only in the centre. And also had dark blue highlights on each side in a unique design.
2007 World Cup
During India’s 2007 World Cup win, MS Dhoni and co. sported this sky blue Indian kit which had a tricolour design running vertically on the right side of the torso. This also marked the last time in Indian Jersey history that the name of the country was written in Yellow. Ever since the colour “Yellow” has never made an appearance in the Indian Cricket Team Jerseys. Not only that. This was also the time when the Indian Cricket Team said goodbye to the “Sky Blue” which had been iconic for so long. It was a colour which almost tied the emotion of Cricket with the Indian cricket team.
2009-10 Indian Kit
This time, instead of changing the design of the jersey, the makers decided to only change its primary colour. It was somewhat of a junction between the Old Indian Jerseys and the Indian Jerseys which the team wears now. It had the same tricolour stripe that was present during the 2007 WC but with Navy Blue instead of Sky Blue. It was also the first time that “India” was written in a colour other than shades of blue and yellow. Since then, the Orange “India” has been a mainstay on the Indian Jersey.
2011 World Cup Jersey
Possibly the most iconic Indian Jersey of all time. This was the first time when India started using royal blue as their primary colour. A trend which continues to this day. This jersey carried on until 2013. It made a brief exit in 2012. The jersey had tricolour stripes running on either side of the torso with India
2012 Indian Kit
For a short period, India wore this jersey which had the Indian flag printed on the left shoulder instead of the Torso.
2013-14 Indian Jersey
The main difference was that there was a tricolour design on the Shoulder area of the jersey instead of the sides of the torso. It was also the last time India had Sahara as their kit sponsor. The main difference was that there was a tricolour design on the Shoulder area of the jersey instead of the sides of the torso.
2015 World Cup Jersey
This jersey saw a design pattern in the shape of grills pointing downwards with shades of royal blue and sky blue. Star substituted for Sahara as India’s kit sponsor.
2016 T20 World Cup Jersey
A jersey fondly remembered by Virat Kohli fans above anyone else, this had Saffron stripes on the left upper corner of the torso, and Green stripes on the bottom right corner.
2017 Indian Jersey
For the first time, OPPO made an entrance as Indian Jersey Sponsors. A very simplistic design with navy blue on the shoulders and the primary colour being royal blue.
2019 World Cup Jersey
The navy blue shoulders made an exit and there were singular orange stripes on either side of the torso of the Jersey. This year also saw India sport an alternate Jersey in the World Cup. The base of this jersey was Navy Blue with Orange sprawled across it on the sides and the shoulders.
2021 T20 World Cup
This jersey was a classic throwback to the 1992 World Cup jersey and was almost similar to it. Except, BYJUS were the main sponsors on this one with MPL too making an appearance on the Jersey instead of Nike.
2022 India Jersey
India continued with the Navy Blue theme with a design of zebra-like slanting stripes which incorporated its fair share of Royal Blue.
2022 T20 World Cup Jersey
This Jersey stands iconic for being the one in which Virat Kohli played that “Shot of the Century” against Haris Rauf. It is a unique jersey in terms of its design. The Navy Blue covered the Shoulders and the right side of the torso and had unique triangular designs reaching the centre of the jersey. The base itself was mostly Royal Blue.
2023 World Cup Jersey
In what will be remembered by many as the year of heartbreaks, similar to a certain 2003 WC Campaign, India came close to winning the World Cup but was defeated by Australia in the Final at the Narendra Modi Stadium. India’s 2023 ODI World Cup jersey features a gradient blue design, tricolour stripes on the shoulders and orange on the end of the sleeves.
2024 T20 World Cup Jersey
A jersey that will become Iconic as time passes, the Indian team won the T20 World Cup wearing this particular jersey. Orange Sleeves and Shoulders, with a tricolour Collar. The Adidas campaign leading up to it and the Jersey Reveal itself were quite special too.
Importance of Blue in Indian Cricket Jersey: Why We Bleed Blue?
Right from the beginning, Indian sports teams associated with the colour blue. And Cricket is no exception. May it be the Navy Blue, or the classic Sky Blue or Iconic Royal Blue. The colour and shades of Blue have always defined the Indian team. So why is it so?
In the world of sports, many countries wear jerseys that are similar to their national flags. For eg: China, France, Netherlands or Spain. So why don’t India do so? Well, the answer to that question is tied to India’s identity as a nation and its Diversity. If Jersey were Saffron, a colour associated with Hinduism, or Green, a colour associated with Islam it could’ve created unwanted controversy. Moreover, Pakistan had already chosen Green to represent themselves. Furthermore, it couldn’t be white, as White doesn’t really stand out in the field.
Hence, Blue, the colour of the Ashoka Chakra was chosen to represent India in sports. The colour itself has many layers to it. It is known to be the colour of tranquillity and calm. It is the colour of the oceans and the sky signifying its vastness. Denoting the vast nature of achievements in Indian sports. It is a colour that channels hope and provides a sense of humility and royalty. Hence, Blue has always been India’s colour. Then may it be the Blue Tigers, or the Men in Blue. Indians have, are and will always bleed Blue.
Significance of 3 Stars on the Indian Cricket Team Jersey?
The stars on the Indian Team Jerseys signify the World Cup wins under India’s belt. But this notion has always come with irregularities up until 2023. Since 2011, India has mostly sported 3 stars on their Jerseys. These denote the World Cup wins in 2011, 2007 and 1983. But during World Cups of a particular format, the national team is required to have stars denoting WC wins in that particular format.
For example, in the 2023 ODI WC, India sported only two stars. From their 2011 and 1983 World Cup Wins. But in the 2016 T20 WC or the 2021 or 2022 T20 WCs, India sported only a single star. From their 2007 T20 WC win.
Now, with the 2024 T20 World Cup in their bag, India has started sporting 2 stars on their jersey as they did in the recent Sri Lanka T20 Series.
Which is the best Indian Cricket Team Jersey?
While this question is very difficult to answer due to the sheer amount of iconic jerseys India has had over the years. There is one that definitely stands out for all Indians alike.
But before we talk about that, let’s go through a few honourable mentions.
1999 World Cup Jersey
It’s just something about this Jersey that screams India. The Indian team might’ve had a turbulent campaign, but it at least gave us this Iconic jersey with a very unique Ashoka Chakra Design.
2002-2007 Jersey
This was the time period when Sachin Tendulkar was at the peak of his cricketing prowess. It wouldn’t be unfair to just name this Jersy as the “Sachin Tendulkar Jersey”. Despite the heartbreak in 2003, this Jersey will be remembered by generations to come. The number “10” of Indian cricket has immortalized this jersey in the hearts of every Indian.
Best Indian Jersey: 2011 World Cup Jersey
Without a single doubt, simply the most iconic Indian Jersey there ever was and ever will be. MS Dhoni’s six to finish off the match. A jam-packed Wankhede stadium in Sachin’s first World Cup win in his last ever World Cup. Everything about that 2011 campaign was just too damn perfect. And this iconic Jersey made it even more Iconic.
