Has
commentary, which defines the best experience for cricket viewers, lost its
touch? With more cricket players now being seen in the commentary box, we
expected more banters, on field experiences, and interesting anecdotes. We got
a few glimpses of these but the touch of neutrality seems to have started to go
away. We have been lucky to be born in a generation where we have seen
commentators like Richie Benaud, Tony Grieg, Geoffrey Boycott, who went beyond
the nationality to serve the TV viewers. The excitement of Tony Grieg whenever
Sachin hit a straight drive, or the joy in Richie Benaud’s voice whenever the
spinner flighted the ball, or hearing the now famous Line “Prince of
KalKuta(Kolkata)” in Boycott's voice, those memories will stay forever in
cricket lovers’ minds.
Of late,
the standard of commentary has not been what it used to be. Cricket players who
retired have joined commentary but few stay for a long haul and make an impact.
Also, while commentating the game, they tend to pick up a side eventually. The
recent event of the BCCI throwing out Sanjay Manjrekar, may not be due to his
non-neutral side, but more because of his trash commentary. He was
ultra-critical in his tenure, made unnecessary remarks, which ultimately led to
his axe. In the past, Harsha Bhogle faced a little period of ban from Indian
commentary due to him criticizing some players. Being a critic is acceptable,
but you cannot get beyond the line and spill out unnecessary remarks for a
player. The basic point of being a commentator is to cater to the audience and
engage them in the game. Picking up a player or a side will lose the charm of
commentary.
