Brad Hogg’s candid confession on referring to Taijul Islam as ‘Taj Mahal’: “Didn’t mean that, it was a slip of tongue”

Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg has acknowledged that he erroneously referred to Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam as ‘Taj Mahal’ during the Chattogram Test between India and Bangladesh.

The 51-year-old was trolled on social media for the mistake. Terming it a slip of tongue, he assured fans that he is working on getting the names of the players right.

In a Q&A session his YouTube channel on Monday, December 19, Hogg was asked about the challenges he faced while commentating on the first Test between India and Bangladesh in Chattogram. The former Aussie cricketer candidly admitted:

“Getting the names right, sometimes. Someone picked up Taijul. I said Taj Mahal the other day when I first got on there when he was first bowling. I didn’t mean that, it was a slip of the tongue. Sometimes that happens.”

Hogg also opened up on referring to former India women’s captain Anjum Chopra as “Anjam” during a studio discussion. Speaking about the incident, he elaborated:

“I was doing a studio show with Anjum Chopra. Wonderful lady, wonderful commentator. There was a talking point on and I tried to complement her on her comment. I just got a bit of a blank straightaway trying to get her name out. I was calling her Anjam instead of Anjum. Sometimes, just getting a little tongue-tied with the names.”

Hogg also confessed that Westerners find it difficult to pronounce the names of Indian spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin correctly.

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“Very important to try and get the names right” - Brad Hogg

Elaborating on his thoughts on the topic, Hogg admitted that it is very important for commentators to get the names of cricketers right. He stated:

“It’s very important to try and get the names right. I don’t do it deliberately. I am working on it and it’s a great challenge because one, you are learning how to pronounce names in those particular areas the right way. Two, you are getting an understanding of the culture as well when you are starting to pick up other dialects - little words that you see here and there.

“I’ll put my hands up. I am always going to make mistakes, but I don’t mean to. That’s probably the hardest thing in commentary.”

Meanwhile, India beat Bangladesh by 188 runs in the first Test in Chattogram. The second Test will be played in Dhaka from December 22 to 26.