Former India cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan quits commentary, alleges colour discrimination by BCCI

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has announced his retirement from commentary duties with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), alleging discrimination in the allocation of on-air roles.

"I am retiring from commentary for BCCI," Sivaramakrishnan said in a post on X.

In a series of posts, he questioned why he was not assigned key broadcast responsibilities such as pitch reports, toss coverage or post-match presentations during his long stint. "Have you ever seen me do a toss or presentation even when Shastri was away coaching?" he asked, adding that despite being associated with commentary for over two decades, he was overlooked while "newcomers" were given such opportunities.

"If I have not been used for tosses and presentations for 23 years and newcomers come in… what do you think could be the reason?" he wrote.

In a response to a user on the platform, Sivaramakrishnan also agreed with a suggestion that the reason could be "colour discrimination."

He further hinted at larger issues within cricket broadcasting, stating that his retirement was "only the beginning of a story" and that "a bigger picture" would emerge regarding television production. "How does a company owning BCCI rights go down? Any guesses," he wrote in another post, without elaborating.

Sivaramakrishnan, a former right-arm leg-spinner who represented India in the 1980s, has been a familiar voice in domestic and international cricket broadcasts for years.