Why we won't see another Harsha Bhogle in the near future

The broadcast of sporting events in India has never been as exciting as it is in its current stage. From the days when only ESPN-Star Sports offered sports content to the current phase of a bouquet of sports channels catering to different sports and regional audiences, viewers are now spoilt for choice.

Leagues of every sport and even state-based leagues are now being beamed live into our drawing rooms. Not only has it given a fillip to the sporting culture in the country, but it also has guided the rise in sports analysts/commentators.

Many of those who dream of appearing on TV and put forth in-depth views on games and analyse players' performances, are now getting a chance to live their dreams. But for those aspiring to emulate legendary commentator Harsha Bhogle's achievements, it may remain a long shot.

Many kids who grew up in the 90s aspired to be like Bhogle. But despite cricket’s craze in the country, no one apart from Bhogle has been able to make the cut as a top-notch non-cricket commentator/analyst.

ESPN-Star had started a talent hunt programme titled Harsha ki Khoj, in 2004. Joy Bhattacharya, the brain behind the show, reflects poignantly on the state of commentary and his show, which served as a platform for commentators like Sunil Taneja, Manish Batavia and Padamjeet Sherawat, who are now a regular in competitions such as Pro Kabaddi League and Hindi feeds of top global tournaments like FIFA World Cup and Olympics.

"The main idea behind Harsha ki Khoj was to create a pipeline of commentators, presenters and interviewers. ESPN-Star at that point had the tools and resources to pull off a show like that.

"But the show died due to lack of momentum. For budding commentators now, the door is only closed for international cricket. But fortunately, a lot of domestic tournaments and regional feeds of global tournaments are there for them to showcase their talent," said Joy, who was associated with ESPN-Star Sports as Head of Productions between 2000 and 2006.

But why is English cricket commentary out of bounds? The primary reason is cricketers are now serious about building it as a career option after retirement.

"Former cricketers look at it as a viable career option. Earlier, many top cricketers were reluctant to do the so-called dirty job - pitch report, field reporting, etc., was not preferred by them. But nowadays, many top cricketers have realised they have to be game for it," Joy added.

Steve Dawson, Fox Sports anchor, who was earlier associated with ESPN-Star Sports, said former cricketers hold an edge in commentary.

"Cricket is a sport where the vast majority of participants are well educated. It means they are likely to be better communicators. The more these people move into cricket journalism, the more of a closed shop it is for non-cricketers to break into the scene. It’s a nuanced sport. I rank myself as a good communicator at the broadcasting level but I wouldn’t feel comfortable commentating on cricket, at least not initially, despite my life-long love for the sport," Dawson said.

The two main sports broadcasters in India – Star and Sony – have relied on freelancers for commentary assignments and Joy stated that channels should invest in talent as the level of expectations is higher, especially on social media.

"Commentators are not getting the progress part. They should be properly trained, given feedback and told where they are going. Fresh talent needs to come in. The channels should invest in talent. But freelancers are preferred by channels also. A channel like DD Sports, which could have done this considering they beam national tournaments, has also failed in this regard and it is surprising since they have some of the top cameramen in the country," Joy said.

The passion for foreign commentators will always remain strong among broadcasters as they perceive them to draw more crowds, especially in football commentary. In the past, erstwhile Zee Sports had roped in noted commentator John Helm in 2005 when it had the rights to beam Indian football while he was also part of the ISL commentary team.

"Viewers want the best person for the job. They may crave local voices but that’s inherently on the assumption that they’ll be as good as the international equivalent," Dawson aptly sums it up.