New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Indian hockey team’s decision to move away from its familiar blue jersey, describing the switch to saffron as “another low” in a post on X.
The men’s and women’s national teams will sport saffron jerseys instead of the traditional blue when they compete at next month’s FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium, a change that has sparked criticism from former players even as Hockey India has defended it as a technical requirement.
“FIH Hockey World Cup: Teams traditional: Blue Jersey Turns Saffron! Neither the Hockey India President nor the Executive Board knew,” Sibal said on X.
“Logic: If the jersey is saffron, the mind may turn saffron! Another low, not seen before!” the Independent Rajya Sabha MP said.
Hockey India, while unveiling the new kit on social media, said the design and colour were intended to “tell a story” and project “India’s pride,” adding that the final call was taken after consultations with players and support staff, PTI reported.
The federation said saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and victory, and maintained that no outside pressure shaped the decision.
“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 in a statement former captains like Viren Rasquinha questioned the reasoning behind the move.
Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said the decision was taken without his knowledge. Hockey India secretary Bhola Nath Singh, however, gave a different account, insisting that “all officials were aware” of the change.
The decision has also drawn strong criticism from former players such as Vasudevan Bhaskaran, Viren Rasquinha, Ajit Pal Singh and Pargat Singh, who questioned the reasoning behind altering a colour scheme that has been part of the team’s identity for decades.