India cricket team’s orange kit plans sparks political row

(FASTNEWS|COLOMBO) – India’s political opposition have criticised rumoured plans for the national cricket team to wear orange in a forthcoming World Cup fixture.

Critics say a saffron-coloured reserve kit represents the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of PM Narendra Modi.

The Indian cricket team have to ditch their usual blue for their clash against England on 30 June.

Under new International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, opposing sides must provide two kits for televised events.

An ICC source told Indian outlet ANI they had provided colour options to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, who chose an option that looked best for them.

But politicians from India’s Congress Party and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have objected to the rumoured kit change.

“Modi wants to saffronise the entire country,” Abu Asim Azmi, from the SP said – referencing a term used to describe a Hindu nationalist drive to dominate the country’s heritage and culture.

“A Muslim was the one who designed the Indian tricolour. There are other colours in the tricolour, why choose only orange?”