they didn't refuse; they wanted to play barefoot, and weren't allowed ... can't believe that still ... was there no generous soul who could donate 15 pairs of boots to the Indians? and India has princes and such; surely a quick letter to one of them could have sorted out the necessary finances ...
actually, was reading about a slightly similar situation with Zimbabwe cricket ... apparently Harbhajan Singh (an Indian player) noticed at the recent T20 World Cup that Zim were playing with amateur equipment (bats and such) ... so Bhajji decides to ring his contacts in India, and donate a bunch of professional gear to Zims ... great gesture!
again, can't believe there wasn't a similar good samaritan story for India's situation ...
hah! recycling jokes isn't "green" ... was still funny though ...