Power dressing

Amidst typical hype and razzmatazz, in a bright show of power-point presentations and video capsules, Nike and the Board of Control for Cricket in India unveiled the Indian team's new kit. Ever since the board tied up with Nike, the wheels of commerce and innovation have been turning, and the latest offering is a team uniform that is lighter - 15% by weight and about the same in terms of colour.

From a deep sky blue, Team India will now be clad in powder blue. You'd think clothing was a fairly straightforward business but with patented technologies, and jargon like dri-fit, engineered mesh, sublimation technology flying about thick and fast, it would have been easy to have been fooled into thinking you were attending a science seminar.

Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, was the star of the show, but only by a little bit, as Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly came in for some serious attention from the flashbulbs going off and the glaring lights of television cameras soaking in every bit of cricket in the lead up to the World Cup. Also present were Sreesanth, Mahendra Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and Dinesh Karthik.

"For a young kid growing up in India it is obviously a dream to play for India," said Dravid, answering almost every question in typical fashion, liberally sprinkling his sentences with the words "exciting" and "opportunity". "When you start playing cricket it's obviously as a hobby, as something you enjoy doing. Then to go on and play for your country for eleven years, against the best in the world ... that's a dream come true," he said, tracing his journey from that day in 1996 when he made his debut till now, where he is on the verge of leading India in a World Cup.

When asked about leading the side Dravid cracked into a wide smile, "There're definitely more headaches when you're captain than when you're just a player in the team," he said, inviting laughter from the audience. "Sachin and Sourav will agree with me on that I'm sure, he said."

When asked about the challenge ahead of the team in the forthcoming World Cup Dravid said it was crucial that each player enjoyed his cricket. "Playing in such a big tournament is a great opportunity. It's not something to be fearful about," he said. "It's something you think about when you're a one-day cricketer, as this tournament is as big as it gets."

Dravid was also glad that the World Cup was finally upon the team. "It's a relief that the tournament is finally here," he said. "In a World Cup year there is always so much talk leading up to the tournament, so much space devoted in newspapers and on television. It's good that the tournament is here. Now it's a chance for the players to get out and play, and put some performances on the board."

Aside from Dravid, who did the speaking for pretty much everyone present, there was also a bevy of board officials in attendance. Lalit Modi, chairman of the marketing committee and vice-president of the board, spoke of how this kit launch was the culmination of a long journey the board and Nike had undertaken together. Niranjan Shah, secretary of the board, Ratnakar Shetty, administrative head, and IS Bindra, vice-president, were some of the others present.