India no longer the victim

The outcry against Suraj Randiv's deliberate no-ball to deny Virender Sehwag a century is an example of how India has changed as a nation over the last 63 years. The transformation from servility to aggressive self-assertion is a remarkable aspect of the journey of independent India in which cricket has always been a strong metaphor, writes Ayaz Memon in the Times of India.

There was a time when India would get short shrift. Everybody knows Bishen Singh Bedi lost his contract with Northamptonshire because he complained to the MCC about John Lever using vaseline to tamper the ball during England's tour of India in 1976. Indian players were often at the receiving end of sledging, racist taunts and even physical abuse e.g. Sunil Gavaskar given a mighty heave by John Snow in 1971.

Today though, India is the world's richest cricketing nation as also the number 1 ranked Test team. A fast-growing economy and a billion-strong fan-base fuelled a boom that has made this country cricket's El Dorado. The BCCI contributes more than 70 per cent of the game's economy. This signifies enormous clout and should inspire India to play a leadership role in the sport rather than a victim's.