Former India cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan announced his retirement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) commentary panel on Friday. Not only did Sivaramakrishnan refer to a lack of opportunities as a driving force behind his decision, he also accused the BCCI of “colour discrimination”. Sivaramakrishnan said that he had not received opportunities to conduct toss and presentation ceremonies, and implied that discrimination could’ve played a part in it. Fans were left divided by Sivaramakrishnan’s explosive announcement, and legendary India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also reacted to it.
“I am retiring from commentary for BCCI,” Sivaramakrishnan wrote on his ‘X’ handle.
Sivaramakrishnan stated that he had been usurped for certain roles by “newcomers” in the industry.
“If I have not been used for TOSSES and PRESENTATION for 23 years and new comers come in to do pitch report, tosses, presentations even when (Ravi) Shastri was coaching, what do you think could be the reason,” he posted.
The former leg-spinner, who played nine Tests and 16 ODIs for India during the 1980s, then accused the BCCI of colour discrimination in a response to a fan.
