Within 48 hours Viren Rasquinha, a former India hockey captain, had posted on X that the change was “embarrassing”. Both solve the problem of contrast; yellow arguably does it better, which is presumably why India wore yellow at the 2014 World Cup, a precedent Hockey India itself cites. Our teams are ready to once again do the country proud at the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026. 🎥: Select 2 (SD+HD)+ Khel & JioHotstar🗓️: August… pic.twitter.com/8GvwbByapq — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) July 27, 2026There was a third option, which nobody seems to have considered, and which I watched India wear at Eden Gardens in 1984. What I cannot follow is why, having finally decided to leave it, Hockey India reached for a third of the flag when the whole thing was available.