THE TEAM INDIA SHIRT:

High demand: What moves faster than a cricket ball off Virat Kohli’s bat? Team India jerseys off retail racks, if sales at city stores is any indicator. 

Only Nike is authorised to sell what Kohli and Co. sport on the field and salespersons at the company’s nine stores in the city are struggling to cope with the demand for Team India’s World T20 jerseys after victories against arch-rivals Pakistan and Australia, both powered by Kohli. 

All sizes and variations of the jerseys are in demand, but children’s apparel tops the chart. 

Such is the clamour for kids’ sizes that before India’s do-or-die tie against Australia on Sunday, three men entered Nike’s South City store at the same time looking for a jersey each for their children. There was only one left, so two of them returned empty-handed!

When little Parnava Roy went to the Nike store at Chowringhee last week to buy a jersey, he didn’t get one either. But the Class V student at St. Stephen’s School, who is a little big Kohli fan, wanted a jersey so bad that his uncle Mainak Roy pleaded with the store employees into procuring one for his nephew ahead of the crunch tie against Australia. 

“After two visits to the Chowringhee outlet proved futile, I left my phone number with one of the employees. He called me after getting a jersey from another store,” said Mainak, a resident of Belgachhia.

Parnava, who got the jersey on Saturday, his birthday, now refuses to take it off.

Bank officer Aditya Saha, too, did not get an S-sized jersey on his first visit to the store, but his brother was lucky to find an L-sized one that fit. Aditya, who has called the store several times since to find out whether his size was back in stock, will pick up one on Tuesday morning to wear during the India-West Indies semi-final on Thursday.

“Demand for jerseys peaked before the India-Pakistan match (on March 19) and we sold 60 of them in two days. Sales soared again on Sunday before the Australia match, but we had to turn away a lot of people as stocks had dwindled,” said an official at the South City store.

A few “authentic” jerseys priced Rs 4,995 — Nike insists they are of the same quality worn by the players — are available. The shop has run out of the lower-priced variety, which cost Rs 3,795 each, and kids’ jerseys, priced Rs 2,195 each. 

How stores are coping: The Nike store at South City hasn’t been able to meet the demand despite three refills of 60 to 70 jerseys since the Super 10 stage of the World T20 started on March 15.

At the Chowringhee store, two refills of about 60 jerseys had been sold out before fresh stocks arrived again on Sunday.“But the Team India jersey is being picked up so fast that many sizes are already gone,” the store manager said.

Authorised stores of the sportswear brand are in touch with each other to plug gaps in jersey supply. Whenever a store gets a customer who wants a particular size that is available elsewhere, networking ensures that a lucky buyer gets it.

 “We have been exchanging our stocks, depending on requirement,” said a manager at the Chowringhee store.

Exchange or procurement has happened between cities, too. The latest consignment of “authentic” jerseys at the South City store came from Ranchi, M.S. Dhoni’s hometown!

Replicas galore: The demand for the unofficial, albeit much cheaper, Team India jerseys has been just as high.
On Monday afternoon, a variety of India jerseys vanished off the racks at the Maidan Market.

While official Team India jerseys do not have any name printed on the back, shops at Maidan Market offer buyers the option of getting their favourite player’s name inked on the back. And which name is the popular pick? “KOHLI”, of course, with jersey number  “18”  stencilled on the back of the shirt!

Just Nike storeowners, shopkeepers at Maidan Market said the craze for jerseys during the World T20 was unmatched.

Demand is so high that people are picking up any blue shirt or even shirts in other colours with “India” written on them. Many buyers have been getting something printed on the back of these shirts.

“I try copying his batting style when I play cricket in our para every Sunday,” smiled young Shafi as his “Virat 18” jersey was being readied under the watchful eyes of S.K. Ismail of Sunny Printer. 

It was Ismail 65th jersey of the day and Shafi’s first. “I will wear it for the semi-final and cheer for India!” the budding cricketer said. 

Sunny, another stencil-man at the Maidan Market, quantifies Kohli’s growing fandom. “Earlier, 20 per cent of those who would come to me with India shirts would want Kohli’s name on the back. During the World T20, that number has grown to 80 per cent,” he said. “Over the past few days, I have printed the name ‘Kohli’ even on Kolkata Knight Riders and Barcelona shirts!” he beamed.

THE KOHLI BATS:

Kohli is the new Sachin as far as the bat seller is concerned, “MRF” being the common factor.

So, stickers of the bat makers are coming off and are being replaced by what Virat “Chiku” Kohli’s bat bears. “We would cater to such demands when Sachin (Tendulkar) and Sourav (Ganguly) played together,” recalled an elderly shopkeeper at Maidan Market. “Now kids coming to the store with their dads are asking for bats with MRF stickers. When I ask them why, they reply that they want to play like Kohli,” he smiled.

MRF stickers and bats are, however, difficult to spot at Maidan Market because of the fear of legal action. Shopkeepers ask buyers who want “MRF” stickers to come back in a while, and have the bat ready when they return.

THE KOHLI CUT:

The Kohli haircut is as big a hit with young Calcuttans as his batting. “What Kohli is sporting now is an undercut. It is also called the fading technique. The sides are really short and there are lines. The lines enhance the look and make it interesting. It’s short, trendy and playful. The top is textured. You can spike it, too. You can play around a lot with this hairstyle. When girls think about Kohli, the words ‘sexy’ and ‘hot’ comes to mind. This look adds to his personality,” said Sidney Ho, creative director, Toni&Guy. 

Kids as young as seven want the Kohli cut. “They will Google (a look) and the (reference) picture would be that of Virat!” said Sidney.

Firoz Ali, senior stylist at Eye Catchers in South City Mall, said demand for the Kohli look had been constant since the start of the World T20. “We had a quite a few people come in for the Kohli look before the Sunday match,” he said. 

It helps that the Kohli cut is summer cool. “It’s perfect for summer. The beard is something that complements the look. It’s a don’t-mess-with-me kind of look. Not everyone can carry off the look that he is sporting right now. Personally, I think this is his best look. Those dark eyebrows and lashes add to the intensity,” gushed beauty pro Bridgette Jones.

KOHLI CONVERTS:

Kohli is the reason why Siya Dugar started watching cricket again. “My friends were talking about him and one day when my brother was watching a match, I asked him if it was Kohli batting. He said it was him and I was hooked! 

I have been following him for a year now,” said the 14-year-old student of Modern High School for Girls. 

Such is her Kohli-centric love of cricket that she waits for the openers to get out so that she can watch her favourite bat.

 

 

 

 

 

For Amrita Dasgupta, 8, cricket has meant Kohli since she was four. “I really like his confidence. He is always very positive,” smiled the Lake Gardens girl. 

The Indus Valley World School student wants to ask Kohli — if she ever meets him — what he thinks about while batting. But little Amrita fears she would be “so stunned” at that moment that words would desert her!

 

 

 

 

 

Text by Rith Basu, Saionee Chakraborty and Malancha Dasgupta