What is the significance of the white jacket at Champions Trophy?

India and New Zealand will face each other in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The winning team will be wearing white jackets during the post-match presentation, following a special tradition of the tournament.

Team India last wore those jackets in 2013 after beating England to win the trophy a moment they hope to recreate this Sunday.

#OnThisDay in 2013, India won the ICC Champions Trophy! Watch the top moments of their triumph in the final against England! #CT13 pic.twitter.com/cTxIU5oqv8

— ICC (@ICC) June 23, 2017

Each winning team member of the Champions Trophy is presented with a white blazer. The International Cricket Council says on its website, “The white jacket is a badge of honour adorned by champions. It embodies the relentless pursuit of tactical brilliance and a legacy that inspires generations. Winning the white jacket signifies the journey of putting it all on the line for victory.”

The first Champions Trophy was held in 1998, but the tradition of giving white jackets to the winners started in 2009 when Australia won the tournament in South Africa. Since then, the white jacket has become a special symbol of the tournament.

No one is exactly sure where this tradition started, but some cricket fans think it might have been inspired by other sports. For example, the green jacket given to winners at The Masters in golf or the white clothes players wear at Wimbledon.

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