Over the past few days, despite the start of the Indian Premier League, the talk has been little about the action on the pitch but about what is happening off it. Ever since Harsha Bhogle was taken off the roster for the IPL, there have been mixed opinion around the decision with some calling his ‘sacking’ as correct while there have been legion of fans asking for him to be brought back including the top trending topic of #BringBackHarsha. (Fixtures | Squads)
Breaking his silence on the issue, Bhogle said he was thankful for the support but wished to be kept away from the limelight.
READ: Harsha Bhogle was taken off air without any reasoning
Amid the gossip of the possible reasoning for his ‘axing’, one of the most circulated reasoning has been that players have complained of his criticism. Bhogle, in his Facebook post, wished that it wasn’t the case because that is part and parcel of the job that he does.
This isn’t the first time Bhogle has come under the lens with suggestions that he doesn’t talk about Indian players enough with Amitabh Bachchan and MS Dhoni implying the same during India’s thrilling win over Bangladesh in World T20.
READ: Harsha responds to Bachchan Sr and MS Dhoni’s criticism
Harsha’s statement on his Facebook post in full:
“I must confess I am a little uncomfortable with all the attention I have been getting recently. I am just a cricket commentator. I go to a cricket match, tell the story of what happened, look for joy within it if possible and come back feeling blessed to have had the opportunity. I tell the story, I am not the story.
I am, though, deeply moved by the messages I have got. I am overwhelmed that people who don’t know me have taken the trouble to express their views on the matter. Young men and women who are my children’s age have offered me advice. Famous people and simple cricket lovers have gone on public platforms. And I have been particularly touched by the people who say they don’t rate me as a commentator but who speak out in my favour (that you may disagree with people but fight for their right to have an opinion was an attitude injected into me very early in life).
It is an incident that tells me how much we care for the game that we hold so dear.
I don’t know what lies ahead. I have a contract with Star Sports with whom I share an excellent relationship. It is the reason why I don’t have to do the IPL. I do it because I genuinely like the cricket on offer, I want to be part of cricket’s laboratory to see what is brewing. It is a fantastic tournament.
I still don’t know why I am not doing the IPL. I haven’t been told. I can accept the fact that people don’t like me. But I genuinely hope it isn’t because cricketers have complained about what I have to say. I tell every young cricketer who cares to listen that we will never agree on everything but I will always desire that they do well; that I cannot stop them from scoring a run, or taking a wicket or holding a catch. Doing that is their job, telling the story of what they did, or didn’t, is mine. Our paths will be strewn with admiration and disagreement. It is the nature of the job whether you are a university level cricketer or among the best there has been.
And, for heaven’s sake, my greatest criticism is that I don’t do enough of it. And when I do, my friend Prem Panicker isn’t sure whether I have critiqued a player of proposed marriage!!
So, thank you very much. I love what I do and your words have been overwhelming.
But, I remain the teller of the story, not the story itself.”
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