Harsha Bhogle gives commentary advice after on-air spat with Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian player-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar seems to be the second name of controversy. Manjrekar has time and again made headlines with his sensational comments. He was involved in an argument on air with one of his good friends and co-commentator for a long time, Harsha Bhogle during the Pink Ball Test between India and Bangladesh in Kolkata in November 2019. While Manjrekar admitted recently that his behaviour with Bhogle was 'unprofessional' and that he was wrong, Bhogle has now come out and spoken about the issue further.

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Sanjay Manjrekar and Harsha Bhogle's debate over the pink ball's visibility

During Day 3 of the Test match against Bangladesh in November, Sanjay Manjrekar and Harsha Bhogle had a difference of opinion on air regarding the visibility of the pink ball after three Bangladeshi batsmen were struck on their helmets in the ongoing contest. Harsha Bhogle said on air that there should be a post mortem on that game. He added that visibility of the pink ball would be a major factor against the big sightscreen. Manjrekar disagreed stating that when he saw the slip catchers and the way they took catches, he didn't think visibility was an issue at all and added that the texture of the ball was the issue.

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Bhogle then said that he would ask Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara and batsmen from both sides about the visibility of the pink ball as he opined that the Day-Night format will be a regular feature in Tests. To which Manjrekar replied that Bhogle needs to ask that question because since he has never played the game before at the international level. Manjrekar indirectly asserting that he was a better judge of that.

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Have no issues answering how much cricket I played: Harsha Bhogle

But in a video recently shared by a leading media portal, Harsha Bhogle was seen speaking at a lecture organised by Manthan India. The 58-year-old said not many people know that he has played cricket at the university and senior-division level in Hyderabad, his home town. While conceding that he was not good enough for national and international cricket, he has a fair grasp on the sport’s emotion. He also said that he had no issue with answering how much cricket he had played although he lamented that non-cricketers do not get opportunities for commentary in the contemporary era. However, he concluded by saying that the commentator was eventually a story-teller and not an instructor. 

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