“I’ve never seen a stronger statement in favour of sport than this.”
Way again in 1999, this line by Harsha Bhogle flowed by our TV screens whilst a joyous Pakistan cricket crew went on a victory lap in Chennai’s Chepauk. “There’s not a man or woman in the stadium who is sitting. They are cheering Pakistan. What a sight this is,” he mentioned in awe, even because the visuals focussed on the group and the gamers with out breaking for an commercial.
This second is etched in cricketing historical past because of Pakistan’s slim 12-run victory regardless of Sachin Tendulkar’s heroics. It can be one of many highlights of Harsha’s preliminary years in commentary, a profession which might go on to cowl extra vital occasions and tournaments.
Harsha Bhogle, sports activities commentator
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“It was a coming-of-age moment for me, because I was thrust into that situation, with no time to think. Hence, I was able to say what I genuinely believed. It is in these situations that you cannot wear a mask,” recollects Harsha, over a digital name.
Since then, Harsha has come to be described by many as top-of-the-line cricket commentators the world over. His evocative traces have served as an accompaniment for riveting cricketing encounters in numerous codecs. From poetically describing many memorable Sachin knocks — with traces like ‘If Sachin plays well, India sleeps well’ — to wittily describing on-field incidents — with traces like ‘He had so much time in the world to play that ball that he could have read a newspaper’ — Harsha’s heat, reassuring voice has flooded our drawing rooms every time cricket is being performed. “I have always love the sounds of the game. When I was six, I remember reading Sport and Pastime, from The Hindu, and this particular photo of Tiger Pataudi at the Oval in 1967 is still fresh in my memory.”
The massive conflict
The bespectacled sports activities commentator can be at it but once more, within the upcoming high-stakes India-England Test sequence conflict. With a younger Shubman Gill on the helm, main a relatively-young facet following the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, all eyes are on how India will carry out. “I am looking forward for different reasons,” says Harsha, “I want to see how the core Indian batting group is going to adapt to English conditions. It’s still a largely inexperienced line-up in those conditions. And I would like to see how England responds to Jasprit Bumrah, the best bowler in the world now.”
Harsha has already began getting ready for this important five-match tour, which can be performed at a few of the iconic English venues corresponding to Headingley, Lord’s, Edgbaston, Old Trafford and the Oval. “As there’s so much cricket these days, I quickly go back to see what happened in the last few years, and how particular players did at different points of time. I also look at the choices for India and England, making a checklist of things I want to speak about.”
Test cricket goes by an attention-grabbing section in the intervening time, with the inflow of fast-paced T20 cricket that offers audiences a number of leisure in little or no time. In an Instagram-friendly world the place even one-minute Reels are jostling for consideration, the Test format of cricket — performed over 5 days and many periods — is looking for its personal area of interest. Harsha explains, “Whether it’s music or cuisine or friendships, you cannot force choices on people. I can only tell people why Test cricket is so alluring to watch; we have just seen the display of character at the WTC final (South Africa vs Australia). You see that in T-20 as well, but you see it for just five minutes or so. Over here, your character is tested and how you navigate different situations that arrive in the course of a game. Suddenly, conditions change and you have to adapt. That’s what we do in life, right?”
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Being related
Harsha Bhogle’s preliminary years have been related so much with Sachin Tendulkar’s gritty lots of, however he has come a great distance since then, to describing key moments and youthful gamers of the sport. From Sachin Tendulkar to Sai Sudarshan, how does he handle to maintain the joy intact? “If you tell Sai Sudarshan’s family members that you put his name in the same sentence as Sachin, they won’t sleep for a week. I see extraordinary skill and wish him well. I was lucky that people used to tune on to watch Tendulkar, and because they watched it with audio, I got heard. Tendulkar was the sun that shone on us and therefore, all the other tiny things in the solar system too got noticed,” he says.
Cricket has taught him, amongst different issues, to remain humble and to be within the second. “The great thing about our game is that the moment you think you’ve seen it all, you get a resounding kick on your backside. We have to be alert to that. If you don’t, you will become irrelevant.”
Commentary too has come a great distance for the reason that time Harsha entered the trade. Today, regional language commentary on sport is selecting up, with many native references utilized by the consultants to attach with newer audiences which may not be very aware of the sport. How does he view commentary within the regional languages? “There is a perception I am violently opposed to that in regional language, everything goes. That is being disrespectful to the audience,” he says, including, “There is a grandmother somewhere enjoying cricket, but now, because it is in Kannada or Tamil or any other language, she is enjoying it more. The job of the commentator is to tell the story in a manner that the audiences find palatable, without disrespecting the viewer.”
Watch India tour of England from 3.30pm, June 20 onwards reside on Sony Sports Ten 1 & Sony Sports Ten 5 channels
Published – June 18, 2025 04:49 pm IST
