When Indian players sported jerseys with their mother's name

It was the series decider between India and New Zealand when the spectator saw something new and amazing. The iconic Number 7 jersey of the Indian team generally carried the name “Dhoni” on it, but this afternoon it sported “Devaki”.

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Along with MS Dhoni, the then captain of the Indian team, all other players of the playing eleven sported their mother’s name on their jersey.

The match was an important one as the visitors have won two matches to come roaring back into the series, and it was down to this clash, as to who would lift the trophy. But the hosts blew away the Kiwis by a huge margin of 190 runs. The performance of the team came on the back of brilliant batting displays by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, followed by an amazing bowling spell by Amit Mishra.

However, the donning of their mother’s name on the jersey by the Indian players was more the talk of the town than the win. The gesture was a part of a campaign by Star India in collaboration with the BCCI. The initiative “Nayi Soch”, was to empower the women who mostly go unnoticed in the glamour of cricket.

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The players carried their mother’s name on their jerseys to give recognition to the women, on the back of whose support and sacrifices, the players made it to the highest level.

 “We are quite used to having the surnames from the dad’s side. And, what’s important is to appreciate the stuff that mothers have done for us. It’s a very emotional connect and it’s good that it’s put on a public platform. I would like to request the whole of India to keep this in mind and appreciate them every day,” said Dhoni before the match.