Team India start their journey in the World Test Championship on Thursday. Ahead of the first Test match against West Indies in Antigua, Indian cricketers including captain Virat Kohli sported the new Test jersey with numbers on the back side. Skipper Virat Kohli will be sporting his preferred number 18 on his back.
The official handle of the Indian cricket team revealed the jersey numbers of the players through Instagram stories.
Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will sport number three jersey, bowlers Mohammad Shami and Kuldeep Yadav will be having number 11 and 21 respectively behind their backs.
Top-order batter Cheteshwar Pujara will be sporting number 25, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will be wearing number 8 jersey.
{{/usCountry}}Top-order batter Cheteshwar Pujara will be sporting number 25, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will be wearing number 8 jersey.
{{/usCountry}}Pacer Ishant Sharma will be sporting number 97, wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant will don number 17. Rohit Sharma will sport number 45.
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will don number 99 whereas Hanuma Vihari will sport number 44.
The introduction of having numbers behind the Test jerseys has been criticised by several former players.
In the ongoing Ashes, players have been sporting numbered jerseys and this addition has been criticised by former players like Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar and Kevin Pietersen.
The decision to introduce numbered jerseys was taken by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to make the game more appealing to the youth and this tradition will be followed throughout the World Test Championship.
India defeated West Indies in the recently concluded T20I and ODI series.
The Men in Blue outclassed Windies 3-0 in the T20Is whereas they defeated them 2-0 in the ODI series.
Both teams will now lock horns in the two-match Test series, slated to begin from August 22 in Antigua.
The series will be a part of the World Test Championship.