Nike Unveils Cricket-Focused ‘Born To Beat The Odds’ Initiative

Nike reveals ‘Born to Beat the Odds’, which highlights larger-than-life heroes of Indian Cricket alongside potential future stars of the game and looks to inspire the next generation that they too can follow in their giant footsteps.  

The campaign film reflects a truth many young athletes in India experience: in a country of 1.4 billion people, it can be hard to see yourself as “the next one”. ‘Born to Beat the Odds’ speaks directly to that truth, reminding athletes that while the road to the top can feel intimidating, self-belief is the first step in proving the odds wrong. The campaign highlights how the same pressures, challenges, and expectations shape India’s greatest cricketers into becoming the world’s most elite, high-pressure competitors in the game and are also what forge the next generation of athletes.  

“Growing up, there were many times people told me what I dreamed of wasn’t possible. Too focused on the challenges and odds stacked against me, versus the belief that I could get there. But this is what drove me, it is what shaped me into the athlete I am today. I hope my story, celebrated in Born to Beat the Odds, helps another young girl or boy see it, believe it, and think ‘why not me?’,” says Jemimah Rodrigues.  

“When you grow up in a country filled with cricketing heroes, it’s easy to think greatness belongs to someone else. But every athlete has a moment when they decide to trust themselves and do it anyway. That belief is where everything changes,” says Shubman Gill. 

In a nation that spotlights its celebrities through larger-than-life out-of-home installations, Nike will give this same treatment to Cricketers of all levels and honor them through the same iconic medium. These Giants feature a mix of elite and everyday athletes, drawing attention to their similar tenacious spirit at each level of the game.  

Giants of the game who will be featured include Shubman Gill, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma and Shafali Verma. It is their grit and determination as they strive to bring home Cup after Cup that inspires this next generation of athletes in India. 

Up-and-coming academy and elementary players including Zaina Ahmed Baig, Ishan Deshpande, Debark Maity, and Ramra Chaudhary are also featured and will help spotlight the potential of cricket athletes across India. No matter if they’re playing the sport on a national level or in crowded maidans and gullies, they serve as a reminder that India’s sporting strength is in its resilience and defiance in the face of any challenge or odd stacked against them.  

The campaign kicks off with a teaser film and a towering near-40-feet-tall installation of three-year-old Indian cricket prodigy Debark Maity — a viral sensation whose raw talent and remarkable batting skills have captured the hearts of millions – showing it is never too young to dream big.  

Complementing the Giants installations and teaser is an anthem film titled, “The Odds”. As the tournament progresses, the month-long campaign will continue to drop social-first extension films that correspond with the next wave of Giants across popular Mumbai locations. A subtle but important detail is that famous Indian cricket commentator, Harsha Bhogle, is the voice over for the films in the campaign.