Virender Sehwag had urged BCCI secretary Jay Shah to rename Team India as Team Bharat.
Opinions on the subject have been coming thick and heavy, with sporting personalities sharing their take on the raging topic. This came to fore when the recent G20 dinner invite was sent out in the name of 'President of Bharat' instead of the usual 'President of India'.
Then recently, after the Team India squad was announced for the World Cup 2023, former opener Virender Sehwag posted on social media platform X and urged BCCI secretary Jay Shah to rename the national cricket team as Team Bharat.
"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 and it has been long overdue to get our original name 'Bharat' back officially. I urge the BCCI (secretary) Jay Shah to ensure that in this World Cup our players have Bharat on our chest," Sehwag posted on X.
Now Sunil Gavaskar also said that while both names sound amazing, whatever call is taken, it has to be done at the official level. Gavaskar admitted that the original name remains 'Bharat'. But, if a change has to come in, it should be brought into everything.
"That is the original name, Bharat. So, it has a nice ring to it. But it has to be done at the official level, the government level and the BCCI level for the team to be called Bharat cricket team. But changes have occurred. Burma is now called Myanmar. So, the original name can come in and I do not see much of a problem. But basically, it needs to come in everything," he said on India Today.