New Delhi: Many sports buffs, especially hockey lovers, were surprised to see a change in jersey colours of the national teams recently.
Having been used to seeing the Indian men and women in blue colour for decades, the sudden shift to ‘kesariya’ (saffron) triggered backlash and intense debate.
Among those who criticised the decision of Hockey India (HI) was former India captain Viren Rasquinha, who termed the move “embarrassing” and questioned the logic behind replacing the iconic blue kit.
“I must say that @TheHockeyIndia has done many good things for Indian Hockey. But this is embarrassing. The legacy & identity of the Indian team has always been BLUE. I wore the Blue jersey with pride for many years. Fans want to see our Indian team in blue. What is the logic of orange?” Rasquinha posted on his X handle.
Some wondered whether this was a part of ‘saffronisation’ that the BJP is alleged to be promoting in the country since the NDA came to power 12 years ago.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the BJP and RSS over the new saffron jerseys for Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams at the upcoming FIH World Cup, saying that no one could change the country’s core values of truth, non-violence, brotherhood and unity.
‘Can’t change soul of India’
“They may change the uniform, they may try to change the history through the education policy, they can do whatever they want, but you have seen what the youth think about this,” the Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad told reporters outside Parliament.
“The soul of this country is imbued with truth, non-violence, brotherhood and no one can change that,” Priyanka said, adding that neither the RSS nor anyone else could do so.
With the voices and views against the new saffron jersey growing significantly, Hockey India defended its decision on Thursday.
‘Players, coaches were consulted’
Responding to the widespread criticism, HI said the decision was taken after detailed consultations with players, coaches and support staff.
“We wish to inform you that the decision to change the uniform colour was based on support staff & players recommendations and detailed consultations with them. The primary consideration was technical. It was observed that the blue playing uniform tended to blend/merge with the blue synthetic playing surface, which is now the standard colour of international hockey pitches. This visual similarity affected on-field clarity and visibility for the players,” HI said in a statement.
The national federation further stated that multiple options were considered before the final decision was made.
“In light of the above, the coaches and players suggested alternative colours such as yellow or saffron. After careful consideration, saffron was finalised. Apart from addressing the technical requirement, saffron also holds deep significance as one of the colours of our National Flag, symbolising courage, sacrifice and national pride,” HI clarified.
Dilip Tirkey, former India captain and current president of the hockey federation, pointed out that changes to the national team’s playing kit are not unprecedented. He said the Indian team wore yellow during the 2014 FIH Hockey World Cup before switching to a redesigned sky-blue strip for the 2018 edition.
Rasquinha also urged people not to politicise the issue. “I’m seeing many unnecessary political comments on this. I don’t want to get into any of that. My simple & humble point is on pride, identity & legacy,” Rasquinha wrote in a recent post.
“India is to Hockey what Argentina is to Football. Will we ever see Argentina wearing Orange and White stripes as their 1st jersey?” he added.
The Odisha government is the principal sponsor of all national hockey teams — men, women, senior and junior squads — through an agreement extended until 2036.
