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New Team India Jersey: Deepika Padukone Sports #BleedingBlue

Deepika Padukone Sports The Indian Cricket Team's New Jersey
Nike

Actress Deepika Padukone has joined the throngs of Indian cricket enthusiasts by sporting Team India’s newest cricket jersey fashioned by Nike. Dressed in the signature blue that the national team players shall proudly don for the World Cup, the actress was photographed in a bold, determined pose.

Padukone who hails from a lineage of world-class badminton players (her father is Prakash Padukone a Padma Sri awardee and the first Indian to win the All England Badminton Championship) expressed her support for the team. “As a cricket fan and active athlete, I felt a great sense of pride when I first put on the national team jersey. Cricket is the biggest sport in India and the passion for the game is incredible across the country,” said Padukone, who was also a national level badminton player. “Like every cricket fan I look forward to great success for Team India in 2015.”

Nike and The Indian Team unveiled the One Day International kit earlier today. The kit, as claimed by Nike, is extremely lightweight and combines high performance innovation with sustainability: each kit is fashioned out of an average of 33 recycled plastic bottles.

The Captain of the Indian cricket team, Mahendra S Dhoni was quick to praise Nike’s final product: “The new Team India uniform is light, comfortable and packed with innovation to help minimise distractions on the field of play, and that’s critical when millimetres make a difference between a game winning innings or wicket. He also added that 2015 is a big year for Team India, as the best teams in the world compete for cricket’s greatest prize.

“The Team India jersey truly symbolises the passion for cricket in our nation; wearing this jersey is a matter of pride for every player.”

According to Nike, the uniform has been constructed after heavy research on the movement and form of the players while on the field, and first-hand personal information from M.S. Dhoni, R. Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, R. Jadeja and other athletes.

Nike’s Dri-fit technology has been integrated into the uniform to regulate body temperature through designer laser ventilation holes and allow the body more breathing space. The uniform also features laser ventilation holes and Nike’s designers have adopted a four-way stretch fabric (Dri-fit prime lite) to enhance the player’s comfort, while allowing their body to naturally adapt to the kit.

“This is more than just a jersey; this is the passion of a billion hearts, the colour that unites the entire nation. We are pleased that Nike has used its global expertise to adopt innovative technologies from different sports and craft them to the specific needs of Team India players," said Sanjay Patel, Honorary Secretary, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). "The new kit is a perfect testimonial to Nike’s dedication in delivering nothing but the best.”

In addition to the uniform, two pairs of footwear specially designed to address the demands of the players – NikeLunar Dominate (for batsmen) and Nike LunarAccelerate (for bowlers) – were also launched completing the kit that is now available at select Nike outfits and online.

The bright blue outfits shall officially be seen on the ground on the 18th of January this year when India shall play their first match against Australia.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.