A look at the best Indian cricket commentators

Cricket commentary has the magical power of making viewers and listeners fall in love with the sport or vice-versa. Commentary enriches the sport and takes it to a whole new level; and the past few years have seen the influx of witty and researched minds that have something positive to offer the cricket fan every time, be it Harsha Bhogle with his liveliest voice and honest opinions or a Sanjay Manjrekar with his crisp tone and perfect analysis.

Fans will differ with regards to who is better than whom, but there is no denying the fact that all the new age commentators, Indians or foreigners, have made cricket so much more pleasurable to watch. Here we enlist the prominent Indians who have made the commentary box their own. There is no ranking.

Aakash Chopra: A 32-year old cricketer, who, apart from his batting, is equally adept at his communication skills when facing the camera.

Chopra regularly appears as a guest commentator in the entertainment channel Set Max, which also telecasts the Indian Premier League. Like his batting, his views are also pretty upright and technical, earning him the nickname of ‘Shakespear’ (courtesy Fake IPL Player Mr. Anupam Mukherji).

Harsha Bhogle: He is easily the face of Indian cricket along with Ravi Shastri. A management graduate from IIM (Ahmedabad), he started his commentary innings with the All India Radio (AIR) in 1992.

He is one of the most popular commentators the world over, indeed once helping Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) bring back their consumers. His energetic and sparkling voice and humorous way of putting things in perspective have won him countless fans. Having long been a part of the ESPN-Star commentary team, his contract with them has very recently expired. He is a legend in his own right.

Sunil Gavaskar: The original ‘Little Master’ is a renowned cricket commentator as well.

Apart from his technical knowledge and expertise, his views on the mindset of players and intricacies of the sport, having come through many years of invaluable experience as a batsman and a successful captain, is unmatched. Diplomacy is not his cup of tea. During the infamous Sydney Test in India’s tour of Australia in 2007, Gavaskar fell into trouble for his flammable comments when emotions were already running high. He was absolutely right with his view, though.

Sanjay Manjrekar: His crisp style of speaking is definitely one of his traits that stands out.

Once a decent batsman who never quite made it big at the international level, Manjrekar more than made up for it with his stint with a microphone in hand and a camera. He is a successful anchor as well.

Arun Lal: Arun Lal is comfortable with both Hindi and English, and quite a few times he has been seen changing his commentary box in the same match to join the team that delivered cricket in the other language.

A very jovial person, Lal is also a former cricketer to have played for India. He is one of the most popular commentators and is mostly seen in the ‘home’ matches or series or in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Ravi Shastri: A commanding personality on and off the field, Ravi Shastri was a successful cricketer but his career as a commentator is even better.

Shastri is known for his commanding voice: he can generate excitement in the game like no other. Midway through Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes off Stuart Broad in the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup, Shastri, who was breathing heavily with enthusiasm and said, “It’s six, six, six, and its balle, balle, balle in the crowd.” He is witty, passionate and honest in his views. Another legend in the commentary box.

Atul Wassan: He is another commentator who just cannot be diplomatic. Known for his commentary stints in Hindi for Doordarshan, Wassan is more a guest pundit for sports channels in recent times.

He invariably makes critical observances that may not be palatable to everyone. For example, during the IPL, he expressed his surprise over the plan of ‘resting’ some players for some matches to get them fresh for the next round of matches, saying that the 20-over format with a mere 4-over spell cannot be taxing for anybody. He is blunt, and is full of conviction. He recently figured as the panellist alongside New Zealander Chris Harris in Ten Sports’ pre- and post-match shows in the triangular series in Sri Lanka.

Navjot Sidhu: Is the most unique personality that you would ever see. He is a cult.

Once having faced humiliation for his ignorance of the English language in his playing days, the happy and animated Punjabi speaks so well, and has such clever and amusing comments and ‘proverbs’ in his arsenal, that he bamboozles the best of anchors and panellists and leaves them rooted to the spot: “The upper layer of Indian pitches and the inner wear of sunny Californian beaches goers have one thing in common – they both come off in no time,” or “”When the take-off is longer than the flight time, either the aircraft is faulty or you are going nowhere in a hurry!”(On Shoaib Akhtar’s take that he needs his extra long run-up to bowl, because he’s like an aeroplane which needs to cruise before take-off)

https://www.sportskeeda.com/2010/04/07/navjot-singh-sidhu-has-competition/ has more of Sidhuism.

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan: This former Indian spinner has a grace and an effortless style of commentary that to cricket fans is like waterfall.

Nicknamed ‘Siva’ and ‘LS’, he is another commentator who likes to be pragmatic and realistic in his comments and observations. He is a brilliant student of the game, and brings this in his commentary as well. His grace and calmness has won him many fans.