New Delhi: The buzz surrounding the potential renaming of India to Bharat has gained momentum in the country, prompting former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag to make an appeal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Sehwag, a key member of India’s 2011 World Cup and 2007 T20 World Cup-winning teams, has urged the BCCI to contemplate using jerseys with the name “Bharat” instead of “India” for the upcoming ICC World Cup.
Sehwag took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his viewpoint on the matter, emphasising the importance of reverting to the nation’s original name, ‘Bharat.’ He stated that a name should instill pride, and it’s high time to officially reinstate “Bharat” as the country’s name.
Team India nahin #TeamBharat.
This World Cup as we cheer for Kohli , Rohit , Bumrah, Jaddu , may we have Bharat in our hearts and the players wear jersey which has “Bharat” @JayShah . https://t.co/LWQjjTB98Z— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) September 5, 2023
“I have always believed a name should be one that instills pride in us. We are Bhartiyas. India is a name given by the British, and it has been long overdue to get our original name, ‘Bharat,’ back officially. I urge the BCCI and Jay Shah to ensure that this World Cup our players have Bharat on our chest,” Sehwag conveyed.
I have always believed a name should be one which instills pride in us.
We are Bhartiyas ,India is a name given by the British & it has been long overdue to get our original name ‘Bharat’ back officially. I urge the @BCCI @JayShah to ensure that this World Cup our players have… https://t.co/R4Tbi9AQgA— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) September 5, 2023
Sehwag drew attention to instances where other nations use their indigenous names in global tournaments as a precedent. He mentioned the Netherlands participating in the 1996 World Cup as “Holland” and noted that they continue to use their original name. He also highlighted how Burma changed its name back to Myanmar and cited numerous other examples of countries embracing their original names.
The cricketer’s tweet has evoked mixed reactions from social media users, with some praising his stance on embracing the name “Bharat” and others expressing sentimental attachment to the name “India.”
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