By Ashis Ray, IANS
Belfast : The Indian cricket team's playing kit, provided by the world's leading sports goods maker Nike, has proved to be unsuitable for the British climate.
A senior member of the touring party conceded that the trousers had failed to keep out the cold, which the visitors had to be prepared for in this part of the world, but weren't.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) signed a contract before the last World Cup to receive a record sum of money from Nike to kit out Team India.
In a high profile launch at Mumbai in February, this US-based company unveiled their hi-tech design, which helped to keep the players cool with what they claimed was a state-of-the-art airing system within the clothes.
By wearing these clothes, which softens the external heat, the body feels less oppressed and consequently there is lower fatigue, they argued. This, in turn, they stressed, would lead to greater retention of energy and therefore more efficiency. It all sounded marvellous!
What Nike and their designers appear not to have anticipated is cricket in cooler climes, such as in the first half of a British summer as well as during parts of seasons in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, not to mention the winter in the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent.
In temperatures in the mid-teens centigrade and lower, the Indian players' legs have felt particularly cold and uncomfortable, especially when a stiff, chilly breeze has blown across the ground.
Better insulation and, perhaps, warmer material were the requirements. It seems Nike overlooked this; and, of course, the BCCI did not have a clue.
One of the duties of a modern-day coach is to foresee such pitfalls. But then, the BCCI, with a blend of gross bungling and callousness, could not muster an appointment before the current tour.