Bharat vs India Debate: 1983 World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar, one of the most respected voices in international cricket, has shared his opinion on the trending "India vs Bharat debate" that has managed to get attention of the entire nation. Celebrities and sports personalities have been sharing their take on the raging name-change saga. Ex-India cricketer Virender Sehwag publicly urged the BCCI to feature 'Bharat' on India's jersey instead of 'India' for the entire ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 tournament.
Sharing his insights on India vs Bharat heated debate, Sunil Gavaskar suggested whatever decision is taken, it has to be done at the official level.
During an interaction on India Today, Gavaskar admitted that 'Bharat' remains the original name but, if a change is to be done, 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.
Earlier, Sehwag, one of the most explosive and popular batters of all time, took to X (Twitter) urging BCCI secretary Jay Shah to have Bharat written on Indian players' jersey in this year's ODI World Cup.
"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, formerly Twitter.
In another post on X, Sehwag gave the example of Netherlands.
"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 and 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," he added in another tweet.