The Indian team will wear a new retro-themed jersey in their upcoming limited-overs series against Australia consisting of 3 ODIs and 3 T20I matches down under. The retro jersey will mimic the design of the iconic dark blue theme from the 1992 World Cup.

The 1992 Benson and Hedges World Cup was hosted by Australia and New Zealand and was the first World Cup edition to be played under lights, with a white ball and colored clothing. The design has become iconic in annals of cricket, with India’s new kit manufacturers MPL revisiting the look in their first series associated with the team.

The Indian team had to do away with the lighter-blue jersey, various versions of which have been worn for nearly two decades because a new kit sponsor has signed a three-year deal.

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The new retro jersey was okayed by Indian captain Virat Kohli after BCCI consulted with him before they left the tour. Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan tweeted a picture of him in the jersey, giving the fans their first look at the new Indian limited-overs kit.

Last week, MPL Sports, the merchandise brand of online gaming company Mobile Premier League, bagged the rights for three years after Nike decided to end its long-term association in September. A top BCCI official confirmed the new kit sponsor could not copy the ‘design’ used by Nike.

To avoid copyright violations, the BCCI and MPL offered the players different options. The players opted for the 1992 kit, which reached them in Australia on Tuesday.

“As MPL is a new sponsor, they cannot use a design similar to what the previous sponsor had. The MPL had sent us a few designs for the one-day kit, including the design from 1992. We asked the cricketers to give their opinion. They chose the one which was worn by our players during the 1992 World Cup,” BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal said.

However, this 1992 World Cup-themed jersey is just for the short term as MPL is scheduled to come up with a new design on its own in the coming time.

“As a new sponsor (MPL Sports), they will eventually have to come with a design of their own. They will have to use their own technology (for creating fabric),” Dhumal added.

(The Indian Express inputs)