'You don’t talk to...': How Sunil Gavaskar stood up for Sivaramakrishnan

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan was legendary for making life difficult for the batters in the early 1980s with his leg-spinners, googlies and top spins. Years later, his retirement from the BCCI commentary panel, and his revelations about facing racism, is shaking up the cricketing world.

On March 20, Sivaramakrishnan, fondly known as Siva, announced his decision to end his broadcasting career in a series of tweets, and cited lack of opportunities to conduct toss and presentation ceremonies as reasons for the tough call.

"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," he wrote on X.

Siva began his commentary career in 2000, and was known for openly expressing his views for more than two decades. He also served as a player representative on the ICC Cricket Committee.

Siva played nine Tests and 16 ODIs for India between 1983 and 1986. He went wicket-less in his debut Test match at 17, but he shot to fame with his match-winning 12-wicket haul against England in 1984. He was also one of the key architects of India's victorious 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship win in Australia under Sunil Gavaskar's captaincy.

Karupa... Kalia...: Sivaramakrishnan open up about racism he faced

When a player wants to keep himself away from the memories of his playing days, however few they have been, it speaks volumes about the trauma he must have faced on and off the field.

In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, Siva said that he has no photographs or memoriablia from his playing days. From being mistaken for a ground staff by a senior India player at 14 (he was a net bowler) and being asked to clean his shoes to being called karupa and kalia (both meaning dark-skinned) at different points of his career, Siva endured it all.

As a 16-year-old India player, he was stopped by a gatekeeper of a Mumbai hotel where the team was staying ahead of the Pakistan tour, because the latter refused to believe Siva was an Indian team player because of how he looked!

But, a shocking instance of casual racism came from within the team, Siva revealed in the interview. On his 17th birthday, he was with the Indian team in Pakistan. Then Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar ordered a cake. When the team gathered to celebrate, a teammate said, “Hey Sunny, you ordered the right colour cake. Such a dark chocolate cake for a dark boy.” Siva cried after hearing this and cut the cake only later after Gavaskar pacified him.

Gavaskar was there by his side again during the tournament. The crowds were hostile, and the umpire, Shakur Rana, was not being too pleasant with Siva. The captain confronted the umpire at lunch break and told him, You don’t talk to any of my bowlers. If you have an issue, you come and talk to me.”

Sivaramakrishnan thrived under Gavaskar's captaincy. But a loss of form hastened his exit from the national team and also the Tamil Nadu team.

The BCCI is yet to officially issue any statement on Siva's retirement from the commentary panel or his allegations that he was avoided at tosses and presentation because he was not "presentable", but The Indian Express quoted a Board official as saying that the "BCCI has never and will never discriminate against any player, former player, commentator because of their skin colour".