Hockey India clarifies New Jersey colour amid backlash from several quarters
The departure from customary blue generated outrage on social media and was questioned by former men's team captain Viren Rasquinha
XtraTime Newsdesk: Hockey India, the country's governing body for the sport, has explained why the jersey colours of the men's and women's national teams have changed ahead of the 2026 World Cup. On July 27, Hockey India posted a video on social media revealing that both sides will wear saffron jerseys rather than their regular blue uniforms at next month's FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium. The departure from customary blue generated outrage on social media and was questioned by former men's team captain Viren Rasquinha.
Hockey India issued a statement on Thursday (30 July), stating that the decision to alter the primary uniform colour was decided because the previous blue kits blended visually with the blue synthetic playing field.
"We wish to inform you that the decision to change the uniform colour was based on recommendations from, and detailed consultations with, the support staff and players. The primary consideration was technical. It was observed that the blue playing uniform tended to blend with the blue synthetic playing surface, which is now the standard colour for international hockey pitches. This visual similarity affected on-field clarity and visibility for the players," Hockey India said in a statement.
The controversy over jersey colour change erupted when Rasquinha's article questioning Hockey India went viral. On Thursday, the former India captain denounced the inappropriate politicisation of his post.
"I'm seeing many unnecessary political comments on this. I don't want to get into any of that. My simple & humble point is on pride, identity & legacy. India is to hockey what Argentina is to Football. Will we ever see Argentina wearing Orange and White stripes as their 1st jersey?" he wrote on X.
The governing board also asked for opinions on potential alternate hues. Finally, saffron was chosen as the basic colour because it appears on the country's flag.
"In light of the above, 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 holds deep significance as one of the colours of our National Flag, symbolising courage, sacrifice, and national pride"
"It may also be noted that changes to jersey colours are not unprecedented in Indian hockey. From time to time, the national team's playing kit has been modified to meet functional and other requirements. For instance, during the 2014 FIH Hockey World Cup, the team's jersey was changed to yellow, and during the 2018 FIH Hockey World Cup, it was changed to sky blue with a completely different design," the statement added.
"The present change to saffron was implemented after 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," the statement concluded.