John Howard's refusal to step down as nominee for the vice-presidency of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has drawn a furious response from sections of the Indian media.

One Indian TV news channel has labelled Mr Howard a closet racist and a "museum piece".

Mr Howard's nomination was rejected without any official explanation by several ICC nations including India, Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh.

His attempt to become the vice-president of the ICC has drawn strong criticism from some sections of the Indian media.

The top rating news channel Times Now has accused Mr Howard of being racist and out of touch.

"Why should a museum piece, a symbol of the black-white divide, dare or dream of entering world cricket," Times Now presenter Arnab Goswami said.

"By doing so, we seem to have upset other closet racists."

Mr Howard's past views on apartheid and immigration have been dragged up in the debate.

Goswami says history has caught up with the former Australian prime minister.

"As for Mr John Howard, it is just too bad, Mr Howard. That's the way the cookie crumbles," he said.

Indian columnist Suhel Seth says racism does not end with the former prime minister.

"Australia is a racist country. There is nothing secular or non-racial about them," he said.

Seth believes England, Australia and New Zealand have not come to terms with India's rise as a world power in the business of cricket.

But he concedes some Indian officials have not handled it well either.

"So we have grown from the little boy to the spoil sport at times. We have been arrogant about it," he said.

Former Indian cricket captain Bishan Singh Bedi says the way Mr Howard's nomination was rejected by the ICC was crude and may have harmed the game.

He says Indians need to look at themselves before calling others racist.

"You know we Indians are the biggest racists in the world. If you look at the daily newspapers, the number of killings that are going on in the name of race and caste and all this rubbish," he said.

"It's unreal. What are we talking about?"

Respected Indian cricket journalist, Pradeep Magazine, says it is all about the unprecedented power and profits generated by Indian cricket.

"So no country wants to annoy India. No player wants to annoy India," he said.

"I think the power of money speaks and in India's case it's exactly doing that."

While Mr Howard's nomination for the ICC has failed for now, Indian government minister Sharad Pawar is settling in as the new ICC president.

He denies politics played any part in Mr Howard's rejection.

"What is the political connotation, there's no question of a political connotation," he said.

But there is still no official explanation as to why the ICC refused to back John Howard.