Reason behind the Pink ODI at Johannesburg

What's the story?

With South Africa hosting India in the fourth ODI of the six-match series at Johannesburg on February 10, the occasion will be marking the seventh time that the hosts will be dressed in pink instead of their usual uniform. The last time that India were a part of the Pink ODI at the Wanderers ground was on their last tour to South Africa in 2013.

In case you didn't know...

The Pink Day is celebrated in order to raise as many funds as possible for cancer patients across the country. The match on February 10 will be about the initiative of collecting money for the Breast Cancer Clinic at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

What the organisers have aspired to achieve is an amount greater than Rand 1 million, which is mostly expected to arise from the sale of bracelets designed by sunglass enthusiast David Tlale. Thus, during tomorrow's ODI, the entire South Africa team will be observed sporting a bracelet.

“For the bracelet‚ we selected a weave design which is in line with a lot of current trends in bold colours that will grasp the attention of anyone that sees you wearing it. This then becomes another conversation piece around the cause and raises the funds needed to make a difference‚” Tlale said.

The heart of the matter

While the hosts will be dressed in pink as part of the campaign, the spectators arriving on the ground have also been encouraged to come and watch the match in a pink attire themselves in order to show their support for breast cancer awareness.

In fact, the program has begun today itself with the hashtag “#PitchUpInPink” being used effectively in order to lure a large crowd for the game.

Author's Take

Initiatives like these, very similar to that of conducting the Pink Test at Sydney annually, will go a long way in spreading awareness about the rapidly increasing instances of cancer, or breast cancer, in particular. The funds collected can then be used to treat those who could not afford treatment otherwise.