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ESPN-STAR
: Only no STARS here
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- Vishal Bhargava
ESPN-STAR bore me. Especially when they’re telecasting a cricket match featuring India. And they disappoint me to such an extent that I’m forced to watch a Ekta Kapoor saas- bahu drama, which I thought previously was the worst that could happen to a viewer. Many may say that the current DD commentators are the worst, but I disagree, entirely.
Cricket matches’ commentary that are telecast on ESPN-STAR have nothing much to offer to the viewer, unless
of course he happens to be die-hard bizarre fan of India’s only icon, Sachin Tendulkar. It’s the same old boring commentary that anyone from the street can give and maybe better than them too. And when Sidhu (who’s now no more with the ESPN-STAR team) and Harsha Bhogle team up for half an hour together it happens to be a dynamic combination. Forget the cricket, the emphasis is on Sachin irrespective of whether he’s in the middle or not. It doesn’t matter even if India is bowling. Focus is on Tendulkar and only him. And it is recommended for only those who want to keep hearing about him, and have no interest in the game in general. Thus, I’ve decided to watch the match with no volume. Some say, it takes the excitement out of the game, but hey, if listening to these dumb nut commentators is excitement, then I don’t know which world you are living in.
Poor Harsha Bhogle. All he can keep talking is the Sachin Tendulkar factor in the course of a match. And read out the insane mails that keep coming to him whether Tendulkar
was out or not out or whether he should take McGrath on or not.
Of course, he can also praise every good shot of Tendulkar, to such an extent as if it was a great shot.
Alan Wilkins bores me, too. And I’m quite sure he does that to a lot of other cricket fans too. Another addition to the Sachin Tendulkar experts’n’fools bandwagon. Though one shouldn’t consider him as an expert as for him, any leg before decision given to Tendulkar is wrong. Never mind the fact, that most of the times it’s knocking the middle-stump.
Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar come as a welcome break for the viewer. Atleast have something else to talk except for Tendulkar. Though, they too praise Sachin to a high extent irrespective if he’s just got out playing a shocking shot. But what the heck, they just go on for 10 minutes. Sane viewers have 20 minutes of good commentary to listen to. For the insane ones, full 30 minutes. And
of course the non-stop dose from Sidhu, Wilkins and Bhogle. Like when Sachin runs a double, Gavaskar goes on and on about the urgency and intensity of his running between the wickets. Never mind the fact that all international players would have been able to take a double in that situation. Unless
of course one happens to be a Laxman, Ganguly or Inzamam.
I hear the commentary just for listening to Geoff Boycott. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that he’s the only open-minded commentator ESPN-STAR possesses (Many may disagree). And everything that he speaks makes sense and seems logical. Unless
of course you happen to be a follower of Sidhu. Finally, a commentator who has the guts to admit that Tendulkar can also make errors just like other humans.. And yeah, Boycott does talk about the cricket in general. Not only about Sachin. A welcome relief for the knowledgeable viewer.
Anyway, I’m going to watch the match. After all this is one of the opportunities I have of watching the match with the volume. Not going to miss this. Not with my life.
Disclaimer
: All the views published in this article are
that of the Writer - Vishal Bhargava's and the
management of Cricketfundas.com is neutral about
the topic.
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