EVERY schoolboy who is playing cricket dreams of receiving his cap - be it that of his school team, his club team or later as he progresses through the various grades of cricket that of his national team. It is the ultimate fulfilment of ambition to be able to wear the country's cap. To get it in one's hand and then to wear it for the first time is a thrill beyond words. Even getting the team shirts or sweaters or blazers doesn't give the same tingle as wearing the cap for the first time does.
The Australian captain, Steve Waugh, in spite of playing for over 15 years, still wears his first Test cap which looks pretty dog-eared and worn out. It also is pretty much beer and champagne-soaked with the victory celebrations that the Australians have been having in the last couple of years. Pouring beer or champagne over the captain, cap et al, is the usual way for the Australian team to show their joy. It is also the one time they show a 'lack of respect' to their captain, who is otherwise revered by them. He has received a lot of caps - possibly one for every tour he has been on, for that is standard issue to all the members of a touring party, and he must be getting one at the start of a new Test series at home. But he still prefers to wear the first one he received and that just emphasises the importance of the first cap.
While earlier the caps were usually presented by a Board honcho to the whole team, the Australians have made presenting the cap to a debutant a ceremony that not only brings out the enormity of the occasion but also shows respect and recognition to a former player. They invariably invite one of their former greats to come down to the field of play and present the cap to the player making his debut. It sends the right signals to the debutant as he realises that receiving the cap is not the end but the beginning of the journey to serve his country in his chosen sport and the person presenting it to him has done it before and is an example to follow and better if possible. It's a moment that is made even more special by the stature of the former player who is presenting the cap.
We have made a mockery of the India cap by having it made by all and sundry. Apart from the official suppliers to the Board, the India cap is also made by sponsors with their logos on it. One has thus seen an Indian team wearing caps of various shades of blue and with their individual sponsor's names on it as well. Since the caps are so freely available there is no feeling or importance attached to them and players look upon them as just another article to put in their kit bags. The players also think little of the shirts given to them and are seen distributing them to all and sundry at the end of the tour so as to lessen the weight in their kit bags. It's one of the saddest sights to see some young members of the Indian team standing on the balcony and throwing their India shirts to the crowd below. This is to enable them to accommodate the things they have bought on tour in their kit bags. One can understand the shirts or caps being given away as memorabilia to a collector who will give them the respect they deserve or to a person who has been helpful to the particular player or to the team, but to throw them away as discarded, unwanted stuff is a painful sight.
What does give hope is the fact that the little champion Sachin Tendulkar is not among those who throw away their India kit. Just about every other player has given it away at some time or the other even to some nubile young things hoping to get 'something' in return. This just goes to show the 'value' they give to their India kit and since there's no pride there how can one expect it on the field of play?
The recent trend of putting down on the caps and shirts the number indicating a player to be the 100th or 115th to represent his country is a good move. It tells the player how he follows a rare small list of people who are fortunate to represent the country. It also gives him a feel of the tradition of the game and his place in the history of cricket in his country as well as the world. It is a number that will always be his and no one can take it away.
How important this is to Indian cricket is debatable, for, as we have seen, barring one or two players the others are prone to discarding their kit at the slightest pretext. But now with the number written on it the Board's contract is clear that a player should not give away his clothes. If he does so he could face fines and this would make him think many times before giving his cap/shirt away. Surely the Board, which spends money on some wasteful items, can provide some extra shirts without the India logo to be given away to those helpful to the Indian team whether at home or on a tour.
The other noticeable aspect of the Indian team's official clothing is the placement of the sponsor's logo on the shirt. Every other country has their national logo on the left breast and the sponsor's on the right side. In fact, when the West Indies team were having the sponsor's logo on the left breast, their captain at that time, Courtney Walsh, insisted that it be switched to the right and the national logo brought to the left side near the heart. It should mean that much to have the national team logo near the heart. But India is the only national team which does not and in spite of this issue being brought up before, nothing has been done to get the positions changed. It does not require an administrator to have played cricket to recognise where the national logo should be. It's quite simply a matter of pride, but then how many in Indian Cricket possess it?
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