Former India cricketer and well-known cricket commentator Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has shared another startling account from his years in broadcasting, claiming he was pulled back into commentary work almost immediately after the cremation of his elder brother. The 60-year-old, who recently stepped away from the BCCI commentary setup after citing “colour discrimination,” described the incident in a sequence of posts on social media on Thursday.
Forced back to duty after his brother’s cremation
Sivaramakrishnan said his elder brother died a few years earlier, and that the family completed the cremation on an evening schedule. He then claimed that, within minutes of the rites ending, he received a call from the BCCI’s Director of Broadcasting asking him to join the next day’s assignment.
- He said the cremation concluded in the evening.
- Minutes after the ceremonies were over, the BCCI Director of Broadcasting allegedly called and asked him to fly the next morning to do commentary for the India vs Australia Test at Mohali.
- Sivaramakrishnan said he agreed to the request and went.
The former leg-spinner added that, even while dealing with personal grief, he still felt compelled to meet his professional commitments. He also drew a parallel by recalling another bereavement during his earlier commentary career.
- He said he “sacrificed the mourning” to continue with his duties.
- He claimed his mother died while he was working on commentary in Pune.
- He said that after those experiences, he still had to deal with whatever challenges came his way.
“That’s why I retired” — hints at the same pressure point
In a separate post, Sivaramakrishnan suggested that the same person or influence he described earlier may have been a major factor behind his decision to step away from commentary earlier this year. However, he did not name anyone publicly.
He previously announced his retirement from the BCCI commentary panel in March, just days before IPL 2026, describing discrimination linked to skin colour. He said he believed he was being sidelined in favour of newer voices.
Earlier in his career, Sivaramakrishnan had also spoken in interviews about serious mental health struggles, including depression and anxiety, along with severe emotional trauma during his time in commentary.
Personal breakdown during IPL in the UAE
Sivaramakrishnan also revisited the toll his broadcasting role took on him during the Covid-19 period, when the IPL was played in the UAE. In a candid conversation earlier this year, he said he suffered a mental breakdown during the tournament and described how he felt when he was alone with his thoughts.
He said he was “down completely” and did not want to look at himself in the mirror. He also claimed that whenever he was awake, he felt as though he was going to die.
- He described sleepless nights and emotional isolation.
- He alleged terrifying hallucinations.
- He said he experienced years of racism and appearance-based discrimination within cricket spaces.
Allegations over on-air opportunities and early setbacks
Sivaramakrishnan further claimed that he was repeatedly denied prominent on-air responsibilities because he was considered “not presentable.” He said he had never been given certain typical match duties, and he linked that to instructions allegedly coming from producers.
- He said he has “never done a toss” or “a presentation.”
- He alleged producers told him they had been instructed not to place him in those roles.
He also looked back at difficult experiences from his early days in cricket, saying such incidents damaged his confidence when he was still young.
Across the disclosures, Sivaramakrishnan—who played for India in nine Tests and 16 ODIs—painted a picture of a commentary career shaped not only by performance pressure, but also by discrimination claims and significant psychological strain.
