LONDON: After a day of exchanges between BCCI and ICC, the world body ruled that MS Dhoni can’t sport the logo of daggers on his wicketkeeping gloves. The former skipper had raised eyebrows during India’s first match when it was seen that there was this insignia on his gloves which looked like the symbol of the Indian Para Special Forces sans the name.
ICC rules prohibit exhibiting on the apparel or gear any kind of visual which carries a commercial, political, religious or racial message. “ICC has responded to BCCI to confirm the logo displayed by MS Dhoni in the previous match is not permitted to be worn on his wicketkeeping gloves at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. The regulations for ICC events do not permit any individual message or logo to be displayed on any items of clothing or equipment,” said a statement.
BCCI was ready initially to make this another prestige issue and stood by Dhoni. CoA chief Vinod Rai was quoted by an agency as saying that it did not amount to any breach of regulations. “BCCI sent a formal request to ICC for clearance. As per ICC regulations, players can’t sport any commercial, religious or military logo. There was nothing commercial or religious in this regard as we all know.”
Dhoni is an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Territorial Army. Before ICC announced its decision, BCCI was under the impression that Dhoni would be permitted to retain the insignia, since the world body had permitted India to wear camouflage caps in honour of Pulwama martyrs in an ODI in March. It became clear later that ICC was not treating the two cases similarly.
There was also speculation that the board would make an attempt to pass it off as a logo of a sports gears manufacturer, considering that regulations permit the use of “two manufacturer’s identifications on the back of each glove” with the size specified. However, this plan was dropped since it would have been difficult to prove that the sign was a manufacturer’s logo. It was unrealistic to expect that the ICC would allow something which is clearly against its rules. However, the BCCI and CoA thought otherwise and complicated matters by sending a formal request.