Renowned cricket commentator and analyst Harsha Bhogle might not have graced the game on the field, but his voice has surely made the game a far richer sport. Bhogle, despite not being an international cricketer himself, has been a genuine ambassador for the sport. It comes as no surprise that the Hyderabad-based commentator has found such a cult following among all sections of cricket viewers. Fans and analysts alike, often look up to Bhogle’s insights on the game to further develop their knowledge.
But the one aspect about Bhogle which stands out is his ever humble and down to earth nature. The veteran commentator shows genuine respect for all aspects of the game and that’s what makes him an ideal instance of a role model.
Things, however, turned sour earlier this year during the ICC World T20 2016 in India. Bhogle, known to be an unbiased commentator, visualizes all aspects of the game and never clearly speaks in favor of a certain team, which is a key quality about a fine commentator. This attribute of the commentator didn’t go down too well with Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan, who shared his comments on Twitter after India defeated Bangladesh in Bangalore during their World T20 Super 10 fixture.
Bachchan, on his Twitter account, made an alleged reference to Bhogle, mentioning an “Indian commentator” should speak more about team India rather than the other sides. To add fuel to the fire, Indian skipper MS Dhoni retweeted Bachchan’s tweet, and added, “Nothing to add.”
Bhogle soon responded in his usual calm way and explained his style of commentating in an uncomplicated manner. However, things didn’t stop there as just a day before his commentary stint began for the IPL, Bhogle was suddenly axed from the commentary team. The worshipped commentator wasn’t given a detailed explanation about the sudden decision, which shook the entire cricketing fraternity.
Fans on social media didn’t remain silent, and the words “Bring Back Harsha” became a trending topic on several platforms. Being the humble person he is, Bhogle soon shared his thoughts and thanked his well-wishers from the bottom of his heart.
He shared his thoughts on his official Quora account, and below are his own words:
Initially perturbed but it is amazing how much more there is to life if you look at things positively. We were able to do many more sessions of the Winning Way, for example. I could do this session!! Many new avenues are opening up. Sometimes what seems to be a setback is an opportunity wearing different clothes.
With his words, Harsha once again reiterated the fact that, life is about ups and downs, but people should rather focus on the positive aspects and live in elation. It just defines the true legend of Harsha Bhogle!