Oh it is high, what a six, what a six, way over the top, it’s a biggie!!! Those who watched the Sharjah match between India and Australia on TV would remember this comment from Tony Greig who was on air. Sachin Tendulkar had carted Michael Kasparowicz straight over the fence. Sachin was in the batting form of his life and that shot was bread and butter for him. However we sitting at home wouldn’t have really cheered it, had it not been for those wonderful moments of commentary. It sure brought even more life to that lively match which India won comfortably. I still remember Mom asking me, who that excited commentator was. If you want to buy what I am saying, try watching a thriller with the mute on. Cricket without commentary is not fun. Period.
Cricket is one game where you really need not WATCH it to enjoy. Radio commentary is an example. Websites which show live scores, with ball by ball updates is another one. These days speech to text software or maybe insanely fast typists even describe every ball from the bowler’s run up to the eventual result of that delivery. But what stands out is TV commentary, because it’s not just describing the game on view, but also the scenes at grounds, snippets of the city where it’s being played, historic moments or anecdotes.
There are innumerable commentators on air, but not all are good to hear. The worst in my opinion is Navjot Singh Sidhu, since he talks about everything other than cricket. The problem with him is that even after retiring as a batsman, he is still bent on scoring. Not runs, but points. I remember the numerous tiffs he has gotten into with Geoffrey Boycott, Martin Crowe and at some points he had even irked his fellow countrymen, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar.
Harsha Bhogle and Alan Wilkins are two extremely good commentators that come to mind. They understand the game completely and use the right words. Harsha is the garrulous one but largely makes sense, while Alan is a bit more measured but very observant. The best part about both these men is the fact that although they haven’t played the game at the highest level they still know a lot more than their counterparts. The kind of questions that they ask, can leave the most experienced cricketers searching for answers but at the same time, both these are pretty good listeners. You will hardly find them making an offensive remark against any opinion. They have truly mastered the art of leading a commentary panel.
It’s not just the ability to speak fluent English makes a good commentator. The ability to make viewers see the game even with their eyes closed, is what makes a great commentator. But at the same time he should be careful about not going the Radio broadcaster’s way. We are all discerning audience here, and the one who understands our sensibilities will rock the commentator’s world!
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