‘Hockey turns saffron, AIFF becomes Bharat… it’s all a tamasha’: Olympic gold-winning captain on jersey change

4 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 30, 2026 02:08 PM Since 1928, the Indian hockey team has strutted out on the field in different shades of blue or white almost every time at a major tournament. That will change next month.
When star drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh and Salima Tete lead out the men’s and women’s teams for the World Cup, starting August 15, the players will swap the iconic blue jersey that has defined the national side for decades for a striking saffron strip.
The change, confirmed Hockey India ahead of the Games, marks one of the most significant visual shifts in the team’s hory. While the governing body said that the ‘primary consideration was technical’ – the blue uniform blended with the blue turf – the move has received widespread backlash.
“I am not inspired when I look at this jersey,” Vasudevan Baskaran, who was India’s captain when the team won the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics, told The Indian Express. “Since 1928, great Indian players have worn the blue shirts. Suddenly, what is the reason for this change? Is it the government’s decision or Hockey India’s? If it is Hockey India’s, then they should have consulted former and current players first.”
Another former India captain, Viren Rasquinha, called the orange playing kit ’embarrassing’. “The legacy and identity of the Indian team has always been blue… What is the logic of orange?” he wrote on X.
The new saffron look also became a political debate as the colour is also associated with the RSS. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra weighed in on the debate and criticised the change in the colour. “Whether they change uniforms or try to rewrite hory through education policy, no matter what they do… You have seen what the youth of our country think about this,” she told reporters on Thursday.
Blue has remained a colour entrenched in Indian sport for decades and has become part of the athletes’ identity. The cricket teams have been called “Men in Blue” and “Women in Blue.” The hockey team has worn the colour in successive Olympic and World Cup campaigns, with one exception in 2014 when the team wore yellow.Story continues below this ad
Hockey horian K Arumugam said Indian teams have always played in varying shades of blue or in whites since the country made its Olympic debut in 1928. “There was a brief period, in 1994-1995, when the playing kit kept changing based on what the sponsors suggested. Even then, the patterns changed but the colour not so much,” Arumugam said.At the 2014 World Cup, India wore yellow jerseys. But that was an isolated instance. The players have frequently worn orange in training sessions, but never for matches. While blue remained the primary colour, India had white with orange stripes on the sides as the alternate jersey.
Hockey India said they took the decision after ‘detailed consultations’ with the players and staff. “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,” the federation said in a statement.
It added: “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 also holds deep significance as one of the colours of our National Flag, symbolising courage, sacrifice and national pride.”
The federation declined to comment when The Indian Express asked who made the decision, and if the orange kit will also be worn at the Asian Games in September.Story continues below this ad
However, it said that the change to saffron was ‘implemented considering the symbolic value associated with the colour being part of our National Flag’.
Former players, however, are not enthused. Baskaran, who coached India at the Sydney Olympics as well as the 1998 and 2006 World Cups, wondered if Hockey India had taken the government’s permission before ‘such a significant change’.
“Recently, we saw the All India Football Federation, which is headed a politician, try and change the name to Football Federation of Bharat. It is a tamasha,” he said. “I am hurt, and won’t be inspired to watch an Indian team play in an orange jersey.”