 "Former India leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan began his career in commentary shortly after retiring from all forms of the game, and had been a regular in international as well as IPL matches at one point. Image credit: Screengrab/IPL")
Former India and Tamil Nadu spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan caused quite the stir recently after accusing the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of “colour discrimination” while quitting his role as commentator for the Indian board.
In a series of posts on X on Friday, Sivaramakrishnan had complained about not getting to do pitch report and toss presentations for more than two decades, with “newcomers” being preferred over him – even during veteran commentator Ravi Shastri’s stint as head coach of the Indian team.
‘Jay Shah and Co. have nothing to do with this issue’
Just a day later, however, the former India leg-spinner posted a clarification on the micro-blogging platform, stating that his complaint wasn’t against the entire BCCI administration but against a specific individual associated with the world’s richest cricket board, adding that former secretary and current ICC chairman Jay Shah does not have any role to play in the alleged discrimination.
“Don’t bring the BCCI Administration into the picture. It’s a one on one with an employee of the BCCI. Jay Shah and Co. have nothing to do with this issue. I am taking control of my life and I think I am entitled to do it,” Sivaramakrishnan wrote on X on Saturday morning.
Sivaramakrishnan had represented India in 9 Tests and 16 ODIs from 1983 to 1987, and had starred in the Men in Blue’s triumph in the 1985 Benson and Hedges World Series in Australia, particularly in the final against Pakistan.
He would then begin his career as a commentator in 2000 shortly after retiring from all forms of cricket and had been a regular presence in the commentary box in international matches as well as in the Indian Premier League at one point.
This isn’t the first time Sivaramakrishnan has opened up on being disciminated for being dark-complexioned. He had previously claimed to have been “colour discriminated” all his life in the wake of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal in England in 2021.
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View AllAnd it’s not just Sivaramakrishna – former India opener Abhinav Mukund, who also hails from Tamil Nadu, as well as ex-India and Karnataka pacer Dodda Ganesh have also made similar statements in the past, about being discriminated against for their complexion.