31 July,2026 09:03 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
Ex-India skipper Dhanraj Pillay
Former India hockey players have questioned the need to change the national team's jersey colour from blue to saffron for the World Cup, beginning on August 15 in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Former captain Pargat Singh felt the change was politically motivated. "Everything in the country is being saffronised - education, history and now sports too. This is worrying. Sport unites people and rises above religion, caste and politics," said Pargat. Other former India captains Dhanraj Pillay and Viren Rasquinha felt the national team will lose its identity due to this colour switch.
"The blue jersey has been Indian hockey's identity. Being one of the colours of our national flag, saffron is important and auspicious, but it has never been the traditional colour of Indian hockey. From the 1928 Olympic team to the eras of Dhyan Chand, Balbir Singh Sr, Mohd Shahid, Zafar Iqbal and even the 1980 Moscow Olympic gold medal-winning side, everyone played in blue," said Pillay, a veteran of 339 international games, including four Olympics and four World Cups. Rasquinha wrote on social media platform X: "The legacy and identity of the Indian team has always been blue. What's the logic of orange?" Meanwhile, Hockey India chief Dilip Kumar Tirkey justified the decision, saying it was suggested by players and coaches due to visibility issues on the blue turf.
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