In a world governed by high decibel noise, Harsha Bhogle was always going to be a misfit, for he chose to speak softly in the most articulate manner with choicest of metaphors rather than clinging on to clichés (as his profession demanded).
In a world governed so strongly by fanaticism, Bhogle was always going to be a misfit, for he chose to love the sport more than any particular team or player (as his profession demanded).
In a world governed by rage, Bhogle was always going to be a misfit, for he chose to describe emotions on the field rather than portraying himself (as his profession demanded).
Unfortunately, Bhogle now finds himself like a Rahul Dravid amidst Carlos Brathwaites.
I am reminded of a conversation Harsha and Geoffrey Boycott once had in the commentary box which went something like this:
Boycott: ”Sachin Tendulkar has in his long career never been on the honours board at Lords.”
To which Harsha replied,”Whose loss is it?”
To the stories and reports regarding the termination of his IPL commentary contract, I have just one thing to say, ”Whose loss is it?”
Well, till the time international cricket resumes, all that we are left with for now is to listen to Navjot Singh Sidhu thumping our ear drums with- ”Ball aise jagah lagi jahan pe haddi nahi hoti!” (While referring to a batsman getting hit on his groin!) READ MORE: Twitter reacts to Harsha Bhogle’s axing from IPL 2016 commentary box
Or we could just go on and ‘Mute the TV sets’ as Harsha Bhogle had himself remarked a couple of years back that viewers should be given a choice to watch sports without commentary.
That time has really come with Harsha not being a part of BCCI’s contracted commentators.
For some spectators, who view the IPL games in the same manner as they watch ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’, it will not be a loss.
For some crazy cricket fans like me, the loss is beyond words.
But Harsha still has a long way to go.
He now needs to declare himself as a freelancer and make available to other broadcasting companies like Sky Sports and Channel 9; after all, he is India’s only voice of cricket. ALSO READ: An open letter to Harsha Bhogle
And hopefully, he should continue to write, for cricket needs him as much as he needs cricket.
[Dr. Devashish Palkar is a sports aficionado, news addict and a patient of OCSD ( Obsessive Compulsive Satirical Disorder)].
Written by 
