Blue no more! India's Saffron hockey jersey sparks storm ahead of World Cup

New Delhi: Hockey India's decision to unveil saffron jerseys for the Indian men's and women's teams at next month's FIH Hockey World Cup has sparked criticism from former players, who argued that the move undermines the team's long-standing identity. The governing body, however, defended the decision, saying the change was driven by technical considerations and feedback from players and coaches.

The new kit, unveiled on Hockey India's social media platforms, replaces India's traditional blue jersey with saffron for the tournament, which will be held in the Netherlands and Belgium from August 15 to 30.

Explaining the decision, Hockey India said the design was intended to "tell a story" and reflect "India's pride" after consultations with players and support staff. It also rejected suggestions that the move was influenced by any external pressure.

In a statement, Hockey India said the change was prompted by visibility concerns on modern blue synthetic hockey pitches.

"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," Hockey India said.

The federation added that players and coaches were consulted before finalising the colour.

"...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," it added.

The announcement, however, drew sharp reactions from former India captains, who questioned both the rationale and the symbolism behind abandoning the iconic blue jersey.

Former India captain Viren Rasquinha described the decision as "embarrassing" and said the blue jersey has always been central to the team's identity.

"I must say that @TheHockeyIndia has done many good things for... 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, who is also the CEO of Olympic Gold Quest, wrote on X.

"My simple & humble point is on pride, identity & legacy."

Former India captain and coach V. Baskaran also criticised the decision, saying Indian hockey was losing an important part of its heritage.

"All teams have their identity in their jerseys, ours was blue but Indian hockey has lost its identity with this decision. Did Hockey India consult its executive board before taking this decision?," Baskaran said.

He dismissed Hockey India's explanation that the colour change was purely a technical decision.

"This is all rubbish. We have been playing with our traditional blue jersey for years on blue turfs, so what sparked this suddenly? Hockey India president and secretary general should answer what was the real reason behind the decision," he told PTI.

Baskaran also said the move had disappointed Indian hockey supporters overseas.

"Indian hockey has a huge fan base in US and Canada and those fans travel with the Indian team for every big or small tournaments. Now they are calling and asking what we will do now as we all have blue jersey and it was our identity," added the captain of India's gold medal-winning team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Another hockey legend, Ajit Pal, who captained India's 1975 World Cup-winning side, also questioned the need for the change.

"Since 1928, we have always worn blue jersey. When I was a child and aspired to play hockey for India, my dream was to wear the blue jersey. So I fail to understand what was the need and the reason behind the decision," Ajit Pal told PTI.

"Hockey India must answer who or what prompted it to change the colour of the jersey. I find it a very strange decision."

Responding to the criticism, Hockey India maintained that changing jersey colours is not unprecedented.

"...changes in jersey colour are not unprecedented in Indian hockey. From time to time, the national team's playing kit colour has been modified as per functional and other requirements," the federation said.

It pointed out that India wore yellow jerseys during the 2014 FIH Hockey World Cup and sky-blue kits during the 2018 edition.

"The present change to saffron was implemented considering both the technical feedback received from the coaches and players and the symbolic value associated with the colour being part of our National Flag," Hockey India added.

The new jersey also features Mandala-inspired patterns representing India's cultural heritage, navy blue accents inspired by the Ashoka Chakra, a chest graphic based on the Sudarshan Chakra, tricolour piping on the shoulders and sides, and 'INDIA' written in stylised Devanagari script. Alongside the saffron jersey, the teams will also have a white alternate kit featuring the same design.