New Delhi, 30 July

The Indian men's and women's hockey teams will be seen in saffron jerseys instead of their traditional blue kits at next month's FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium, a change that was questioned by former players but defended as a technical necessity by Hockey India.

Unveiling the new jersey on its social media pages, Hockey India said the design and colour of the jersey is meant to "tell a story" and carry "India's pride" and was finalised after consultations with players and support staff.

HI also said that saffron symbolises courage, sacrifice and victory and no external pressure guided its 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 after former captains like Viren Rasquinha questioned the logic behind the move.

"...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 World Cup will run from August 15 to 30.

Rasquinha was the first to criticise the decision and said the unveiled uniform looks "embarrassing".

"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 sports foundation Olympic Gold Quest, wrote on 'X'.

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

Former India captain and coach V Baskaran too condemned the jersey colour change, saying the move will rob Indian hockey teams of their identity.

"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.

Baskaran rubbished HI's explanation that the colour change was a technical decision made on the recommendations of players and support staff.

"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.

"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 skipper of India's 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medal-winning team.

The jersey also has 'Mandala' inspired patterns which celebrate India's cultural heritage. Hockey India said that the deep navy blue accents are inspired by the Ashoka Chakra, which symbolises progress, peace and focus.

HI said the chest graphic is a modern interpretation of the Sudarshan Chakra, symbolising "strength, unity, and momentum."

There is also a tricolour piping along the shoulders and sides, which "reinforces national pride."

'INDIA' is written on the front of the jersey in stylised 'Devanagari' script to "celebrate linguistic and cultural diversity."

Besides saffron, the two Indian teams will also have white jerseys in their kits featuring the same new design.

Another hockey legend Ajit Pal, captain of the 1975 World Cup-winning side, termed the decision as "strange" and questioned the need for it.

"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."

Nothing unprecedented: Hockey India

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HI defended its decision, stating that change in national teams' jerseys was not a new thing in Indian hockey.

"...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 statement read.

"For instance, during the 2014 FIH Hockey World Cup, the team's jersey colour was changed to yellow and during the 2018 FIH Hockey World Cup the colour was changed to sky blue with a completely different design," it said.

"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," HI added.