Virender Sehwag urges BCCI to have 'Bharat' printed on Indian cricketers' jerseys. Internet has thoughts

Since yesterday, #Bharat has booked a top spot on the trends list on X.

The buzz around changing India's name to "Bharat" has intensified and has caused a flutter among the masses. People are taking to social media platforms to express their opinions and discuss about the potential name change. Amid that, former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has made an appeal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The 44-year-old cricketer has appealed to the BCCI to consider having players' jerseys printed with the name “Bharat” instead of “India” for the upcoming ICC World Cup. He shared a post about the same on X (formerly Twitter) and it has garnered a lot of attention online.

"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," he wrote.

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

He also gave some examples of other nations using their “original” names in tournaments as well. “In the 1996 World Cup, Netherlands came to play in the World cup in Bharat as Holland. In 2003 when we met them, they were the Netherlands & continue to be so. Burma have changed the name given by the British back to Myanmar. And many others have gone back to their original name.”

In the 1996 World Cup ,Netherlands came to play in the World cup in Bharat as Holland. In 2003 when we met them, they were the Netherlands & continue to be so.
Burma have changed the name given by the British back to Myanmar.
And many others have gone back to their original name

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) September 5, 2023

Sehwag’s post went viral online and prompted an array of reactions from X users. While some people echoed his emotion, others were not that impressed.

“Good to see Sehwag posting this tweet in the English language which has got absolutely nothing to do with the British,” a user wrote.

Another user commented, “You have such beautiful thoughts Viru. You should be a lot more active on social media and share them more often.”

“Excellent!! Can’t wait to see all sports gear donning BHARAT and the Ashoka,” a third user remarked.

Some people also slammed Sehwag for his comments and said that cricket was introduced to India by the British.

“Cricket is a sport invented by the British. You are speaking in their language. Ban cricket and start talking in your native language first,” a person said.

“Cricket is a game given to India by the British. Why not stop playing it altogether?” another user questioned.

A person exclaimed, “So let’s stop playing cricket too? Stop everything that’s western especially British.”

On Tuesday, the official invite sent by President  Draupadi Murmu to the G20 delegates surfaced online. She addressed the invitations as the “President of Bharat” that sparked a conversation around India’s name change, as it was the first time, the head of state was addressed as the “President of Bharat” in official capacity. Meanwhile, #Bharat has booked a top spot on the trends list on X.