India to wear 'lucky shirt' for World Twenty20

India's cricketers have been ordered to wear the same jersey design that won them the World Cup last year for next week's World Twenty20 in a bid to bring them good luck.

Nike, the Indian team's clothing sponsor, had earlier this month unveiled a new Twenty20 design that displayed the national colours prominently and even paraded top stars in the new outfit at a media launch.

But India's cricket chiefs have asked the players to wear the same blue shirts in which they won the 50-over World Cup in order to bring good luck to the team, the Times of India reported on Friday.

"It's our decision to ask the players to wear the jersey which they had used during the 2011 World Cup," Indian cricket board official Ratnakar Shetty told the newspaper.

India won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 but failed to make the semi-finals of the next two editions in 2009 and 2010.

The new T20 design had been welcomed by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and senior batsman Virender Sehwag when it was launched.

Dhoni said the design would help fans identify with the shortest format of the game.

"When we see players in white, we know they are playing Test cricket," he said. "Similarly, when you see them in blue, you know an ODI is going on.

"Now that we have a different T20 shirt, there will be a strong association between the format and the jersey."

Sehwag had said he liked the new jersey because it displayed the national colours of red, white and green.

"I play with my heart and I play for the national flag," he said. "I like this jersey because the national colours are on my heart."

The World Twenty20 opens in Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

 

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