New Zealand to wear Kotahitanga shirt against India

New Zealand is scheduled to wear its limited-edition Kotahitanga shirt in a five-match one-day international series against India, beginning November 4, as New Zealand Cricket marks 100 years of sporting ties between the countries. The shirt combines Māori and Indian design elements. Artists Ben Thomason, Shiv Narandas and Jai Pancha collaborated on the artwork, according to New Zealand Cricket, which describes the garment as a tribute to the relationship between the two cricketing nations. Narandas and Pancha incorporated three Indian motifs: the lotus, an ogee pattern drawn from Indian architecture, and a mandala. Thomason added Māori kōwhaiwhai patterns over haehae lines. New Zealand Cricket says the lines connect the living with those who have passed and honour people who helped build the sporting relationship. The team is due to wear the shirt during the ODI series, which follows a five-match T20 international series scheduled to begin October 22. The available announcements describe the shirt’s planned use and design; they do not report that the ODI series has begun.