AT A TIME when the Indian men’s and women’s teams should be putting their acts together on various combinations, strategies and finalising moves for a podium finish at the FIH Hockey World Cups in Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30, an unusual controversy over jersey colours has overshadowed the preparations in both sections.
The spotlight has shifted to discussions on the Indian squads taking the field in saffron, discarding their traditional and iconic blue attire that has defined Indian hockey for more than two decades.
From the resurgence under coach Graham Reid to the historic successive Olympic bronze medals at Tokyo and Paris, the “Men in Blue” became a symbol of Indian hockey’s revival. Yet, just weeks before the World Cup, Hockey India unveiled a saffron primary jersey for both the men’s and women’s teams, setting off an emotional and somewhat political debate.
Visibility Argument Sparks Wider Questions
Hockey India defended the move on both technical and symbolic grounds. Officials argued that modern international hockey is played on blue synthetic turfs and that a blue jersey can reduce visual contrast, making it marginally harder for players to identify teammates at speed. Saffron, they said, offers greater visibility while also representing courage and sacrifice as one of the colours of the Indian national flag.
This journalist had personal reasons to look forward to Wagener Stadium, Amstelveen, where the Indian men open their Group A campaign against Wales, England and Pakistan.
Though India tasted its maiden World Cup triumph in 1975, the squad that travelled to the 1973 Amsterdam World Cup, after winning bronze medals at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, was arguably the strongest Indian team to leave the country’s shores.
Surjit Singh Randhawa
A handful would remember how, thanks to two penalty corner goals by defender Surjit Singh Randhawa, India raced to a 2-0 lead within the first 12 minutes against hosts the Netherlands in the final. Though India lost the title in a penalty shootout, many of us felt there were scores to settle the next time. That feeling, however, has now been overtaken by the saffron jersey fiasco.
India had earlier finished with a bronze medal at the inaugural World Cup in Barcelona. Since winning the 1975 tournament, India has not enjoyed a memorable World Cup campaign.
The visibility argument behind Hockey India’s sudden shift to saffron has not convinced everyone.
Former India captain and Olympian Viren Rasquinha described the move as unfortunate, arguing that blue had become an integral part of Indian sporting identity.
Junior team coach and goalkeeping legend P. R. Sreejesh, while urging everyone to move on and focus on winning the World Cup, questioned the visibility argument. If blue truly posed a disadvantage, he remarked, then teams should never wear blue again.
His appeal has a rationale behind it. He wants the players to remain focused and not be distracted by an off-field issue when India has a realistic opportunity ahead.
Dilip Tirkey
Perhaps the most surprising remark came from Hockey India President Dr. Dilip Tirkey, one of India’s greatest defenders. Tirkey publicly stated that the decision had been taken without his prior knowledge and sought an explanation regarding the process adopted by the executive board of Hockey India.
His comments transformed what might have remained a design debate into a governance issue, raising questions about consultation and transparency. He, however, retraced his steps, either under pressure or in the interest of the team, by accepting the visibility argument on synthetic surfaces.
So did some players led by mercurial half-liner Hardik Singh.
Supporters of the change point to evolving sports science, where colour contrast can aid split-second decision-making. Critics counter that no convincing evidence has yet shown that merely changing jersey colour translates into better results at the highest level.
Blue: More Than Just a Colour
History, in fact, offers an interesting reminder. During the 2014 Hockey World Cup, India abandoned blue in favour of a predominantly yellow jersey. The experiment did not produce the desired results, and the team subsequently returned to its traditional blue, complemented by orange accents on the socks, collar and sleeve bands.
That blue jersey became associated with some of Indian hockey’s finest modern achievements at the last two Olympics, making the present shift a suspect move.
The manufacturer of the new kit is Shiv Naresh, one of India’s oldest indigenous sportswear companies. Founded in New Delhi in 1987, the company became Hockey India’s official apparel partner in 2013 and has supplied playing kits, training wear and travel apparel for the men’s, women’s and junior national teams ever since.
Screenshot of a video posted by the hockey federation showing the new saffron jersey.
Before Shiv Naresh, India’s hockey teams wore apparel supplied by international brands such as Adidas and Nike during different Olympic cycles and major tournaments.
Ironically, Shiv Naresh finds itself at the centre of a debate that it did not create. The company has simply executed the design approved by Hockey India, yet its jersey has become one of the most discussed pieces of sporting apparel in the country.
Let us remind our readers that Amsterdam was the venue where the British Indian team made a rousing start at the 1928 Olympics under Jaipal Singh. Later, Lal Shah Bokhari and Dhyan Chand continued the winning run. It may be recalled here that the predominant colour of the Indian shirts was always white with the “India” badge on the pocket.
Between the 1948 and 1964 Olympics, where India bagged four gold medals and a silver, losing for the first time to Pakistan in the 1960 Rome final, different shades of blue slowly started appearing on the collar strip alongside the pocket. Barring experiments with orange, white and yellow, the post-2000 colour remained blue.
World Cup Challenge Must Take Centre Stage
Once the opening whistle blows in Amstelveen, the Netherlands and Belgium, colours will matter far less than execution. Let us believe in coach Craig Fulton’s ability to keep his flock together.
Jersey controversy apart, the absence of the already travelling Indian women’s team’s Dutch coach, Sjoerd Marijne, has also been criticised by many. Marijne has been on leave since July 12 and is expected to join the team on August 6. He missed the preparations in Bengaluru and the practice match against Germany a couple of days ago.
The Indian men’s team enters the World Cup as one of the confident contenders. Under coach Craig Fulton, India has developed into one of the most disciplined defensive units in world hockey.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh remains among the game’s most lethal drag-flick specialists, while the midfield and forward lines possess the pace and experience to challenge traditional powers such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Australia.
If India converts penalty corners consistently and maintains defensive discipline, a place in the last four could be a realistic expectation, with the potential to go even further. The Indian women, too, have the hidden strength to make the knockout stage.
History at the Belfius Hockey Centre, Wavre, Belgium, where the men’s final will be played on August 30, and at Wagener Stadium, Amstelveen, where the women’s final will be held on August 29, will remember the champions, not the colour of their jerseys.