Bhubaneswar, July 30 -- Hockey India President Dilip Kumar Tirkey said the decision to change the Indian hockey team's jersey colour from blue to orange was not influenced by any external pressure or political reasons and urged fans to support the Indian hockey teams ahead of the World Cup and avoid unnecessary controversy over the new jersey.

The new jerseys were launched ahead of the FIH Men's and Women's Hockey World Cups, which are scheduled to begin on August 14 and 15, respectively, in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The change in jersey colour has sparked controversy, with former India captain and Olympian Viren Rasquinha questioning the decision and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticising the move.

However, Tirkey said ...