We are currently living in difficult times. However, to keep the spirits high, Indian cricketers have taken to Instagram and Indian broadcasters have pulled out the archives to keep the supporters invested.
Talk of nostalgia invariably also brings up the question of some of the great commentators, who have called out some iconic moments in the years passed.
Commentary around the world has evolved. Some changes have happened for the better, others not so much.
One of the changes is how nationality bias has taken precedence over the neutrality part of the job. I can’t recall when it started, but the more you see, the more you realise that there is a deliberate attempt to try and get that arrangement when the end of a game is nearing.
However, as much as there is a clear natural element that is visible in such cases, the aspect of neutrality that had such a charm to it is completely gone.
The best example to describe this is during the 1990s when Tony Greig would commentate in matches in Sharjah. Imagine Harsha Bhogle being the lead commentator in those iconic Sachin Tendulkar moments in Sharjah in 1998?
Yes, perhaps the vocabulary of words used by Bhogle would have been different, but the baritone, the excitement and just a feel of the presence of the right voice for the occasion remain unmatched.
With more and more series, the presence of nationalistic voices to call occasions when their team is cruising to victory has increased and that has taken away an element of neutrality to the occasion.
Sure, one team won and they need to get more attention, they need the spotlight more, but the team on the losing side has also done its bit to reach that far in the competition and require mentioning as well.
Neutral commentators give you that aspect to commentary. A situation of a similar kind happened during the World T20 final at the Eden Gardens in 2016 when David Lloyd allowed Ian Bishop to call the final moments of the final when West Indies seem to be the favourites.
The question then is: Would Lloyd have done the same had Ian Smith been on air with him at the time? Possibly not. Simply because even though he’s a terrific commentator in his own right and would have done an equally good job to call those moments, but unlike Bishop, the passion in his words would have been different.
Lloyd sensed that and gave Bishop the chance. But again while it was an appreciative gesture on his part, it took Lloyd’s contribution to the moment.
Commentary forms an important part of a game and neutrality its greatest strength.
