Laxman Sivaramakrishnan Retires from Commentary blaming BCCI, accuses 'Colour Discrimination' in Explosive Rant

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Veteran Indian leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan fired a parting shot at the BCCI on Friday, announcing his retirement from their commentary panel.

The 60-year-old, once a teenage sensation with his booming leg-spinners, googlies, and top-spinners, blasted the board for denying him toss and presentation duties for 23 straight years, while favouring newcomers and also accused of racism.

"I am retiring from commentary for BCCI," Sivaramakrishnan declared on his X handle.

"If I have not been used for TOSSES and PRESENTATION for 23 years and newcomers come in, do pitch report Tosses Presentation even when Shastri was coaching, what do you think could be the reason," he added.

He didn't stop there, hinting at darker forces behind the snub.

"How does a company owning BCCI rights go down? Any guesses," he tweeted. "My retirement is nothing great. But a story of tv production unfolds. Soon you will see the bigger picture."

When a follower raised the skin color bias, Sivaramakrishnan agreed outright: "You are right. Colour Discrimination."

The former India player has been out of the IPL panel or the Indian commentary panel across broadcasters for a long time and has now cited these serious allegations of racism.

Sivaramakrishnan, fondly called Siva, had voiced blunt opinions from the commentary box for over two decades since starting in 2000.

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan for India

His playing career sparkled early - nine Tests and 16 ODIs for India from 1983-86, including a match-winning 12-wicket haul against England in 1984 despite a debut duck. He starred as India's leading wicket-taker in the 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship win in Australia under Sunil Gavaskar, crucially choking Pakistan to 176/9 in the final for an eight-wicket triumph. And the former player claimed he was a trendsetter for doing that in that tournament, where he ended up with most wickets.

"I can proudly say I was the trendsetter in world championship of cricket in Australia being the highest wicket taker," he wrote on X.