NEW DELHI, July 31 -- For exactly a century, Indian hockey has been synonymous with blue. From Dhyan Chand at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics to the modern-day resurgence that finally brought India back to the Olympic podium, the India blue jersey has been a symbol of the team. But ahead of the World Cup, to be played in the Netherlands and Belgium from August 15-30, a sudden pivot to a saffron kit has ignited a massive furore, splitting the hockey fraternity and sparking a debate that also reached the gates of Parliament. At the centre of the controversy is a clash between "technical" sporting arguments, proposed by Hockey India (HI), and the heavyweight of legacy, layered with accusations of political interference. "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," HI said in a statement, adding that coaches and players suggested alternative colours. "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." HT verified with three players of the Indian teams whether they were consulted about the change, as HI said in its statement, to which all three said no. Vasudevan Baskaran, who captained India to its last Olympic gold at Moscow 1980, challenged HI's visibility argument. "The last two Olympics, the turf was blue, so was the Indian jersey. How was it that Harmanpreet (Singh), (Amit) Rohidas and (PR) Sreejesh did so well then? How is it that they find a technical fault in the colour of the jersey now?" Baskaran told HT. Pointing to other sports, Baskaran added, "Indian athletes like Neeraj Chopra are wearing blue and performing on the track that is blue at the CWG. I do not see a problem there. Is it a case of colour blindness?" Former India skipper Viren Rasquinha wrote on X: "This is embarrassing. The legacy and identity of the Indian team has always been blue. Fans want to see our Indian team in blue."...