Nike Cup goes digital with new film

The tournament has released the first film of the campaign on Facebook, YouTube and Nikecricket.in.

A street-view film, which is the first in a series of films, documentaries, match episodes and other elements planned for the Nike Cup 2012, has been released on Facebook, YouTube and Nikecricket.in. This is the second edition of the annual Tennis Ball Cricket Tournament for aspiring cricketers in Mumbai and New Delhi.

The 90-second film is a compilation of visuals showcasing the various forms in which cricket is played on the streets. It ends with the message: 'The Streets Are Getting Ready for the Nike Cup. Are You?', and combines several Indian street games such as gilli-danda, gully cricket, lagori/seven stones, Holi and more into one capsule. It captures the street as the training ground for today's cricket crazy youth.

The visuals bring forth a fusion of Indian street games such as lagori or seven stones (a game in which two teams attack each other with a hard ball, trying to outdo each other in building a seven stone structure, which signals the end of one attack), gully cricket and Holi. In the film, youngsters are depicted playing Holi with balls dipped in blue, the colour representing Team India.

Commenting on the campaign, Senthil Kumar, national creative director, JWT India, the agency which has created the campaign, says, "The Nike Cup digital campaign is a true blue commentary on the way cricket is played on the streets. It celebrates the soul of the game and provides an insight into the underbelly of India's cricket crazy talent."

The tennis ball cricket tournament format comprises eight overs per side and 12 players in each team, including eight players and four substitutes. The tournament will have six knockout stages, followed by the league phase for the top eight teams, played at prominent cricket grounds in the respective cities. This year's Nike Cup enables the cricket crazy Indian youth on the streets to rise to the opportunity of training at the National Cricket Academy.

Sanjay Gangopadhyay, marketing director, Nike India, says, "Nike has always strived to provide opportunities for youngsters to engage in sport and to bring to life their passion for the sport. This year, Nike will provide an opportunity for six talented players to train alongside their heroes at the country's best training facility, the National Cricket Academy."

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