Round spectacles magnifying the things to his eyes which is always looking for details, with a smile that would break the ice whenever he holds up a conversation, Harsha Bhogle is a simple man. Except for the knowledge he possesses.
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Sure this is the worst comparison ever but I couldn’t resist. Harsha Bhogle is actually more like Chandler Bing from Friends.
Well, he was an Engineer, then went for a job he probably hated and took up a job in advertising and it goes on for Harsha. You can match his witty humor, his wordplays, and also those days where his wife had to take care of the family expenses.
Definitely, it took years of hard work to be at the place where he is now. He kept juggling between writing and commentating where he used to do commentary and would write match-report during the lunch and other breaks and would send it through fax. Yes, those days there was no E-mail. Now, he is one of the beloved commentators and probably the best ever to talk about the game, and still, make sense without playing it at the highest level.
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What makes Harsha Bhogle special?
A lot of things. He knows to narrate. Narrate matches as stories. Through his words, he can make us emotional, can make us laugh, and he does it all with ease. He comes up with simple words and yet creates a difficult art. Difficult because nobody would even think of it.
“Open the textbook, turn to page 32” who would have thought of this?
One of my favorites- ” Oh what a shame. It was reminiscent of a soldier who survived the war when all the bullets were flying by his nose and then got run over by a bicycle in his native town .” – He said it after Sachin got out of Vaughan.
Hearing these in his voice is one of the beautiful things that has ever happened to cricket. No, Harsha is all about his wittiness alone. His cricket knowledge is second to none and his knack to remember numbers is something else.
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He talks about the numbers, he keeps learning things, he talks his mind. Most importantly, he makes sure how to indulge in cricket conversations with his co-commentators. He questions them about a thing or two in that way.
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He does have favorites, but he makes sure it doesn’t come in the way of his works. He talks cricket right, is controlled, and makes sense, maybe that’s why a few hate him.
His job though looks all fun from the outside, it is the right opposite of it. It is all pressure, and Still, he loves doing it, and still, he pulls it off.
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Even if I manage to reach half of what Harsha Bhogle has done for the game, I would feel like I have achieved something in my life. Maybe, someday, I will tell him how much I look up to him every day when it comes to writing and sports.
Happy Birthday to the voice of cricket, Harsha Bhogle.
Sanjay Manjrekar reacts after being removed from BCCI commentary panel