Sachin Tendulkar to Rohit Sharma: The Untold Story of Tiranga on Cricket Helmets

From Sachin Tendulkar’s 1997 Asia Cup helmet to Rohit Sharma’s flag hoist, discover how the Tiranga became a proud symbol in Indian cricket

Sachin Tendulkar Tiranga on Helmet (Image Source: Google)

India recently celebrated its 79th Independence Day. Many cricketers also posted messages and photos wishing the nation on Independence Day. The echo of Rohit Sharma hoisting the Indian flag after T20 World Cup win in Barbados is still afresh and Rohit Sharma recalled the T20 World Cup-winning moment, when he famously hoisted the tricolour at the Kensington Oval.

Do you know who was the first cricketer to use Tiranga on his helmet and in which match? The first instance of an Indian flag being plastered on the helmet of a cricketer belongs to Sachin Tendulkar and this made that Asia Cup match historic. After Tendulkar, many other cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Yuvraj Singh also started putting the Indian flag on their helmets and this continued. Sachin Tendulkar still remembers the historic occasion and on the 75th Independence Day, he had famously said : Always worn with pride the India flag on my helmet.

That was India's first game of the Asia Cup in 1997, played on July 18th, vs Sri Lanka at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. India made 227-6 (50 overs) and Sri Lanka replied with 231-4 (44.4 overs) and won by 6 wickets (with 32 balls remaining). The player of the match was Arjuna Ranatunga for his 131 not out (faced 152 balls and struck 17 fours, sharing century partnerships with Atapattu and debutant Lanka de Silva), which he later described as one of his best innings.

Believe it, wearing the Tiranga on your clothes or similarly using Tiranga on the accessories, was not permitted at that time. So, Sachin Tendulkar by displaying the Indian flag on his helmet, sparked a national debate and it continued for years! The reason was that the flag code restricted the use of the flag on clothing. Ultimately in February 2005, under the Flag Code of India, the government passed an order prohibiting the BCCI from using the flag on any forms of clothing.

The order meant that the cricketers and other sports stars will not be allowed to wear their patriotism on their sleeves - or gear or anywhere on their kit. At that time not only Sachin Tendulkar's helmet, captain Sourav Ganguly’s batting gloves were also in the news as his trademark batting gloves were painted in the orange, white and green colours of the Indian flag. Famous Bollywood personality Sunil Dutt was Sports Minister at that time and even he was also surprised with the decision. He said, "I personally feel the cricketers should use the tricolour.The national flag acts as a morale-booster."

“It's their viewpoint, but I take great pride in playing with the national flag on the helmet," said cricketer Yuvraj Singh. "It's a different feeling altogether."

Seeking to defuse the controversy over the use of the national flag by cricketers on their playing kits, the same month the Government cleared that it had no objection to the use of tricolour without the Ashok Chakra, by players on their helmet or costumes. This was conveyed by Home Minister Shivraj Patil to Indian cricket board vice-president Rajeev Shukla. However, the Home Ministry stuck to its stand of not allowing the display of the national flag on helmets and costumes. Even, the permission to use the tricolour came as a relief to top cricketers and other sports persons.

The sight of Sachin Tendulkar kissing his helmet after scoring a century is etched in the minds of every Indian cricket fan and he used to do that because the helmet had the Indian flag on it and everything he did on the field was to make his country proud.

One star cricketer who was particularly not using Tiranga on his helmet was MS Dhoni. His reasoning was: A wicketkeeper very often keeps the helmet someplace back in the distance when he does not wear it. A National flag is a symbol of great honour and respect, so it can’t be placed on ground as the law states. Hence either you don’t put the helmet with Flag on ground or don’t put the Flag on the helmet at all.

However, on January 23, 2004, the Supreme Court delivered its verdict (in a different case) – a landmark decision resonating nationwide. The right to display the Tiranga by all citizens throughout the year was upheld, enshrined as a fundamental right in the constitution. With this the Tiranga proudly returned to cricket.