Wisden calls out India’s ‘increasingly Orwellian’ control of world cricket
London: Wisden has strongly criticised Indian political interference and hegemony in global cricket administration, labelling the current situation “increasingly Orwellian”.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the UK-based Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which dates back to 1864, is an annual record of all major cricket worldwide and is regarded as the sport’s “Bible”. In its 163rd annual edition, to be published on Thursday, editor Lawrence Booth highlighted what he sees as an unhealthy and politicised Indian dominance of the global game.
The International Cricket Council has an Indian chief executive, Sanjog Gupta, and an Indian chairman, Jay Shah, who is the son of Amit Shah, India’s minister of home affairs and a longstanding ally of the prime minister, Narendra Modi.
Wisden describes the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which Shah led before taking over at the ICC, as “the sporting adjunct of India’s ruling BJP”.
Booth also highlighted how politics intruded upon the 2025 Asia Cup, which took place against a backdrop of a brief military conflict between India and Pakistan, leading to the players refusing to shake hands when the rivals played each other.
“But the relationship became explicit when India captain Suryakumar Yadav dedicated the first of India’s Asia Cup wins over Pakistan to the armed forces.
“And the idea that cricket was now a legitimate proxy for more lethal activity was hammered home on X by India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, after his country beat Pakistan in the final: ’Operation Sindoor on the games field’.”
“The sport’s governance grows ever more Orwellian, pretending that Indian exceptionalism comes without consequence, and blaming those lower down the food chain for lashing out.
“Predictably, almost no prominent voices in the Indian game addressed the root cause of the carnage: the politicisation of a sport.” KMS-20S
