Hockey india president dilip kumar

Hockey India President Dilip Kumar: Hockey India President Dilip Kumar Tirkey on Thursday explained the decision to change the Indian men's and women's hockey teams' jersey colour from blue to orange for the FIH World Cup, saying the change was suggested by players, coaches and support staff due to visibility issues on the blue hockey turf.

Hockey India on Monday unveiled the new saffron jersey instead of their traditional blue kits for next month’s FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium, which triggered widespread debate, with ex-captain Viren Rasquinha publicly questioning the logic behind moving away from the team's iconic blue colours.

Speaking to IANS, Tirkey said the team had suggested two colour options, yellow and orange, with orange players selected as it is also represented in the Indian national flag.