By Raffaele Gustav
Australia’s humiliating collapse in Perth today against India isn’t just about one Test match. It’s a seismic shift in cricket’s global order — a powerful symbol of the demise of white colonial dominance and the rise of a new economic and cultural powerhouse.
For over a century, cricket was a tool of empire. It reflected a world where England and Australia, steeped in the privilege of colonial supremacy, dictated the game’s rules, both literally and metaphorically. From England’s smug “Spirit of Cricket” lectures to Australia’s ruthless “hard cricket” ethos, the white cricketing powers viewed themselves as custodians, while nations like India were expected to “know their place.”
But no empire lasts forever. India’s triumphs — not just today in Perth but over the past two decades — symbolize something much bigger. This isn’t just the story of cricket evolving; it’s about the world turning. India, once subjugated and mocked as the “jewel in the crown,” now wears the crown. Economically, culturally, and geopolitically, India has emerged as a force reshaping the game and the global order itself.
The transformation of cricket’s economy tells this story in microcosm. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) isn’t just the wealthiest cricketing board; it is the board. Through the Indian Premier League (IPL), India hasn’t just revolutionized cricket’s economics — it has made the old colonial powers reliant on its wealth. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia, for all their history, now depend on Indian audiences and sponsors for survival. The days when Lord’s was cricket’s center of gravity are long gone; that honor belongs to the subcontinent.
This economic domination comes with cultural reckoning. For years, Australia’s sledging and England’s veiled condescension masked deeper prejudices, where players from the subcontinent were reduced to stereotypes — mocked for their accents, their passion, even their food. When Indian players like Sunil Gavaskar spoke up against this casual racism in the 1970s, they were dismissed as “oversensitive.” Today, those same voices are leading the charge, unapologetic in their brilliance, commanding respect instead of asking for it.
India’s cricketing renaissance is also a geopolitical parable. As global power shifts eastward, cricket is simply following the arc of history. The collapse of the old colonial hegemony mirrors broader global shifts, where former imperial nations grapple with the rise of the very countries they once exploited. Cricket — like trade, diplomacy, or technology — is now a game shaped by the economies and ambitions of emerging powers.
Australia’s collapse in Perth feels like poetic justice. It is no coincidence that this shift is happening in a city whose history is tied to the exploitation of Aboriginal peoples, a reminder of the violent colonial foundations that underpinned the nation’s rise. As India ascends, it carries with it the weight of history — not as a victim, but as a conqueror. The economic might of the IPL, the strategic brilliance of players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and the tactical acumen of coaches like Rahul Dravid aren’t just sports phenomena; they are a reminder of what happens when you invest in talent, infrastructure, and belief.
The words of CLR James, the Trinidadian historian and cricket writer, echo here: “What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?” James understood that cricket, like all sport, is a reflection of the societies that play it. For decades, cricket reflected a colonial world order. Today, it reflects a new one, where nations like India are not just competing but dominating.
For Australia — and indeed England — this collapse isn’t just about one bad Test. It’s a reckoning. Adapt to this new order, or become irrelevant. Cricket is no longer the plaything of the colonial elite. It belongs to the world. And right now, the world belongs to India.
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