Veteran commentator and former Indian cricketer, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan announced on ‘X' that he's stepping away from his role as a BCCI commentator after 23 years, hinting at deep-seated issues within the system as the reason behind his decision.
Sivaramakrishnan's cricket career was as brief as it was brilliant. The wiry leg-spinner burst onto the scene as a prodigy who made his Test debut for India at just 17. He dazzled early before fading just as quickly, his international journey ending by 1987 after only nine Tests and 16 ODIs.
Nearly four decades on, that arc appears to have repeated itself, this time in the commentary box.
Sivaramakrishnan, on March 20, announced he was bringing an end to a 23-year stint with the mic in hand. However, unlike during his playing days, where form and confidence dictated his exit, this departure is clouded in controversy and suggestion.
In a series of posts on X, Sivaramakrishnan expressed frustration at being consistently overlooked for high-profile on-air roles such as toss duties, pitch reports and post-match presentations. Expressing frustration that these responsibilities were handed to newer entrants instead.
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If I have not been used for TOSSES and PRESENTATION for 23 years and new comers come in do pitch report Tosses Presentation even when Shastri was coaching, what do you think could be the reason
— Laxman Sivaramakrishnan (@LaxmanSivarama1) March 20, 2026
The remark has drawn attention, especially when a user suggested that the reason could be because he is a “person of colour,” Sivaramakrishnan responded with a single word: “Exactly.”
Exactly
— Laxman Sivaramakrishnan (@LaxmanSivarama1) March 20, 2026
While he initially stopped short of making a direct allegation of racial discrimination by the BCCI, he didn't practice the same restraint when replying to users on his post.
You are right. Colour discrimination
— Laxman Sivaramakrishnan (@LaxmanSivarama1) March 20, 2026
A History Of Allegations Around Discrimination
This is not the first time either that Sivaramakrishnan has been vocal about discrimination.
He has often spoken publicly about how he has been treated differently due to his appearance. As a teenager, he was denied entry into a five-star hotel in Mumbai because staff could not believe a dark-skinned boy could be an India cricketer.
He has also spoken about facing racial slurs during his playing days, particularly in northern India.
Across more than two decades behind the mic, Sivaramakrishnan has been a constant presence in Indian cricket's broadcast ecosystem, covering domestic and international matches.
His exit, framed around “self-respect,” shifts focus onto the structures within Indian cricket's commentary hierarchy, raising questions about opportunities and biases in one of the sport's most influential spaces, the TV screen. Sivaramakrishnan also hinted at the same, promising a "bigger picture" that his retirement will soon unravel.
My retirement is nothing great. But a story of tv production unfolds. Soon you will see the bigger picture
— Laxman Sivaramakrishnan (@LaxmanSivarama1) March 20, 2026
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