Dubai: The UAE senior cricket team will play in next month’s World Twenty20 in Bangladesh wearing the same range of helmets as India’s array of stars after a special consignment was handed over last week.
The helmets, named Shrey after the late brother of the owner of the firm that manufactures them in Jalandhar in India, are used by many top international teams.
The company’s owner Raghav Kohli flew to Sharjah to present the consignment to UAE players Swapnil Patil and Shaimon Anwar in the presence of Emirates Cricket Board Administrator Mazhar Khan and coach Aaqib Javed.
Kohli, who has tied up with Sharjah-based I-Sports for distribution in Gulf and Asian countries, told Gulf News: “This helmet has been distributed not as a business venture but in memory of my younger brother Shrey Kohli.
“He passed away at the age of 21 in an accident on the road from Jalandhar to Meerut, intending to deliver a batch of cricket equipment personally to Indian Test stars Suresh Raina and Praveen Kumar, who were playing for the Uttar Pradesh team. He was very passionate about the game and was excited about meeting them and his life in cricket was just beginning.
“I decided to create a range of helmets that would be useful for players. We worked hard towards making it the best helmet in the world. Today nearly 60 per cent of the world’s top cricketers are using it. Most of the top Indian players like Yuvraj Singh have been wearing this helmet for long.
“My brother was very close to some of the India players as he distributed equipment for them. They loved his enthusiasm and it is because of his closeness to them he went personally to deliver that equipment on that fateful day.”
Besides the UAE senior team, the helmets have also been delivered to members of all 16 teams playing in the ongoing Under-19 World Cup in the UAE.
