Co-host Netherlands wear blue on blue turf, India play in saffron in Hockey WC
In India women's first match of the second round of the FIH World Cup againt the co-hosts Netherlands on Friday in Amstelveen, India walked out in saffron. The Netherlands walked out in blue.
For decades, Indian sport teams have traditionally worn blue, but ahead of the Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands, Hockey India unveiled a new saffron jersey for both the men's and women's teams. The reason behind the change was visibility, as the blue uniform blended with the blue synthetic playing surface, affecting on-field clarity.
However, in India's first match of the second round against the co-hosts Netherlands, India wore saffron while the Netherlands played in blue. This change drew criticism from former India captains Pargat Singh, Dhanraj Pillay, and Viren Rasquinha. Singh was most direct in his criticism, stating that everything in the country is being saffronised.
Dhanraj questioned why a colour associated with Indian hockey for decades was replaced and expressed concern about the colour becoming politicised. Despite the criticism, India's women's hockey team had a disciplined defensive performance against the Netherlands, winning 2-0 in their match at the packed Wagner Stadium.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
