It is the magic of his voice which made him the first Indian commentator to be invited by an Australian Broadcast House to commentate in an India-Australia series.
Harsha Bhogle. (Photo: Twitter/ @bhogleharsha)
Born on 19 July 1961 in Hyderabad, Harsha Bhogle is a known name in the world of Cricket. He is widely known as the “Voice of Cricket”. While cricketers perform to entertain the audience with their game, it is Harsha who has made storytelling of the game equally important as the performers of the story.
It is the magic of his voice which made him the first Indian commentator to be invited by an Australian Broadcast House to commentate in an India-Australia series.
On his birthday today, let us have a look at his journey as a cricket commentator.
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Pursued Chemical Engineering
Born in an educated family in Hyderabad, Harsha initially never dreamt of becoming a commentator. He had in fact enrolled in a chemical engineering course. His parents have been professors at universities.
Harsha was well on his way to pursue a career in academics. He completed his B.Tech and then went to the top Business school in India – IIM Ahmedabad.
Post this, he worked for a couple of years in an ad agency. Then he joined a sports management company and it was here that Harsha’s love affair with cricket bloomed.
Started commentating at 19
Harsha started his commentary career when he was 19. At that point, he used to work with the All India Radio. However, he got his first big break in 1992. During that time, Indian Broadcasters were not much interested in overseas tours.
During the period, Harsha signed a contract with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). With this, he became famous worldwide for his unique insights on the game.
During the 1996 and 1999 World Cup, he was part of the British Broadcasting Company’s (BBC) Commentary team.
He has been rated the most popular commentator in many polls and surveys and was nominated for having the sexiest voice in Australian Radio.
Has called more than 500 international games
Harsha has commentated on more than 500 international matches. This includes approximately 400 One Day Internationals, 100 test Matches and many T20 Matches. He was there for India’s first test match and was on air during Sachin’s farewell Test match.
Harsha’s voice echoes in all cricket lovers across the globe.
Happy Birthday and best wishes to the Voice of Cricket!
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