Harsha Bhogle

While there is no denying the fact that Harsha Bhogle is one of the most adored commentators in this cricket-obsessed nation, one cannot deny he has been accused of being India-biased in recent times.

A couple of years ago, the BCCI had cut off ties with him for some undisclosed reasons. Before that, Bollywood star, Amitabh Bachchan had taken an apparent dig at him. The veteran actor had indirectly accused Bhogle of focusing more on overseas players than on the Indians. In fact, the then-captain, MS Dhoni had also retweeted the actor’s tweet.

At that time, Bhogle had responded by saying English commentators needed to be objective in their approach because they catered to a global audience.

Well, something similar happened on Thursday (June 14), and just like the previous times, the ace commentator once again buried the matter in style.

It all began when he took to Twitter to wish Afghanistan on their first-ever Test. Posting a picture of the players’ caps, he tweeted:

“Great moment. This is what you dream of. 1st test for Afghanistan.”

However, the tweet did not go down well with one fan, and he asked Bhogle to stop supporting other teams.

I think Harsha u support Afghanistan more than India .. the way u support Pakistan .. ab Bus bhi karoooo ..

https://twitter.com/satishnaik2/status/1007105174144339968

Graceful as ever, Bhogle came up with a brilliant reply, writing,

“This is their big moment, and as a commentator, you have to recognise that.”

Afghanistan are up against world number one Test side India in their first-ever Test current in progress in Bengaluru. The war-ravaged nation along with Ireland earned the Test status last year only.

An avid cricket lover, I just love this game more than anything. Writing about cricket keeps me closer to the game.