A new world order: How the Indian subcontinent is changing cricket's balance of power

It took many years for official cricketing bodies in Australia to acknowledge Indian cricket. In the last few decades, money from the subcontinent has changed the balance of power on and off the cricket field. The fourth episode of Colours of Cricket explores pivotal moments in this story, highlighting the increasing influence of subcontinental teams and fans on Australian cricket.

Sri Lankan Captain Arjuna Ranatunga in heated discussion with umpires after bowler Muttiah Muralitharan was called for chucking in a one-day match against England at Adelaide Oval. Ranatunga was given a six-month suspended sentence by the ICC over the incident. Credit: PA Images via Getty Images

When The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was formed in 1928, they requested a tour by the Australian national team.

But the Australian cricket authorities were indifferent to this call by their subcontinental counterparts, and a tour did not materialise.

The first official encounter was in 1947 when the Indian team toured down under, just after the Indian Independence. This was the only time Don Bradman played against any opposition from South Asia.

The Indian team were not invited back again for another two decades.

Patrick Skene, a cricket historian and writer, says the long gap was due to financing.

India was not a financial powerhouse and they got crushed in that series. Their batting wasn’t strong, and they had to wait another 20 years before they could come down to one of the two big homes of world cricket.

Patrick Skene

Fast forward to 2022, and Cricket Australia now relies on tours by India and other South Asian nations to keep its coffers filled.

Some experts say the tour by the Indian team is now the most important one for Australia.

Gideon Haigh, one of Australia’s most respected cricket writers, says it “is even more valuable than the Ashes”.

Malcolm Gray is the former head of the Australian Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council. He says that the power from the subcontinent, particularly India, has grown to equal England and Australia.

This journey has not been friction-less. In this episode of Colours of Cricket podcast, cricket legends Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ijaz Ahmed, Lisa Sthalekar and others recall key moments that changed this equation.

Hear about contentious walk offs by the Indian team in 1981 and the Sri Lankan team in 1999 while playing in Australia, and Pakistan's moment of glory when Imran Khan lifted the ICC world cup trophy in Melbourne in 1992.

Listen above, or follow Colours of Cricket in the SBS Radio app or in your favourite podcast app such as Spotify or Apple Podcasts to catch each episode in the eight-part series.

Hosts: Preeti Jabbal and Kulasegaram Sanchayan

Lead Producer: Deeju Sivadas

Producers: Sahil Makkar, Vatsal Patel, Abhas Parajuli

Sound Design: Max Gosford

Program Manager: Manpreet Kaur Singh

Advisor: Patrick Skene

Colours of Cricket is a collaborative project from SBS Radio's South Asian language programs; SBS Bangla, SBS Gujarati, SBS Hindi, SBS Malayalam, SBS Nepali, SBS Punjabi, SBS Sinhala, SBS Tamil, and SBS Urdu.