Harsha Bhogle, Ravi Shastri, & Sunil Gavaskar: The clowns of India Cricket

[putrevus]

fundamentally it boils down to -- private entity wants employees to toe the line. Which to be fair most of us do in our every day jobs. The issue is not Ravi or Sunny or Bhogale. The issue is the line taken by the BCCI. Point is dont blame the commentators. They are there to do the job their employers tell them to do. The fact is under Manohar and Pawar commentators were free to say what they wanted. With srini he has a personal relationship with MSD. That is the problem.

Can you cite an example what they did under Pawar, Manohar and what they have not been allowed under Srini.

[G_B_]

Can you cite an example what they did under Pawar' date=' Manohar and what they have not been allowed under Srini.[/quote'] for one I remember the commentators being allowed to say whatever they wanted on selection matters. The ganguly greg chappel saga was covered well by the commentators.

[putrevus]

for one I remember the commentators being allowed to say whatever they wanted on selection matters. The ganguly greg chappel saga was covered well by the commentators.

Didnt Ganguly who was part of commentary team during 0-8 debacle question Dhoni's place in the team and Gavaskar lambasting Zaheer Khan's selection when he was not fit. I think too much is made of nothing myself. and well if you expect them to blast BCCI on every count then that is not happening and it is not fair also to expect that from them.

[G_B_]

Didnt Ganguly who was part of commentary team during 0-8 debacle question Dhoni's place in the team and Gavaskar lambasting Zaheer Khan's selection when he was not fit. I think too much is made of nothing myself. and well if you expect them to blast BCCI on every count then that is not happening and it is not fair also to expect that from them.

as many reports mention these restrictions came into place after the 2-1 loss to england at home what your talking about is before.

[Sachinism]

^^ I dont think that is the case Shastri and Sunny have been critical of Indian team , Sunny by nature is ego maniac who is more concerned about stats than match by itself that reflects in his commentary. Tell me what exactly they have not done, I do find them bearable myself. All these commies I feel are direct reflection of their playing days, Sunny was never bothered about wins and losses as a player as he was with his stats, he always talks about 100s or milestones. Shane Warne on other hand always talks about how a team can win from any position. Manju on other hand reeks inferiority complex putting other teams on pedestal that is his nature. Guys like LSRK and Arun Lal have no identity they are useless.

Why does a board need to employ cheerleaders in the commentary box? Should each nation do that to provide myopic views off a script provided by the board? What happened to the commentator providing an objective analysis of the game and things surrounding it? They've avoided being critical of selectors, benefits of DRS, the obvious corruption in IPL. LSRK isn't as useless as we may think, considering BCCI bullied everyone to get him into the position of Player Representative he must serve some role in building of the BCCI Empire.

[randomGuy]

Harsha gives to IIM-A and Hyderabad a bad name.

[putrevus]

as many reports mention these restrictions came into place after the 2-1 loss to england at home what your talking about is before.

after 2-1 loss they never had to discuss anything as this team has won everything since that series so what is there to complain or critique.

[G_B_]

after 2-1 loss they never had to discuss anything as this team has won everything since that series so what is there to complain or critique.

that my friend is a valid point Fair to say after these restrictions did come into place (A) India have not played much cricket (B) whatever cricket India have played 4-0 v Aus, sweeping the champions trophy, winning series v England, tri series v Sl, WI and the T20 v Aus. So there are probably not been much to criticize.

[putrevus]

Why does a board need to employ cheerleaders in the commentary box? Should each nation do that to provide myopic views off a script provided by the board? What happened to the commentator providing an objective analysis of the game and things surrounding it? They've avoided being critical of selectors, benefits of DRS, the obvious corruption in IPL.

It is called home commentary it is catered for home audience and why would they want to sling mud on themselves. Commentary is about providing objective analysis of that particular series or that particular match and it is not a platform to discuss state of affairs of the board. why would they want to have guys likeTony Greig or Nasser Hussain to keep on making same point every fricking time they got microphone just because they have an axe to grind with BCCI. BCCI has refrained their commentary team to discuss DRS as it does not trust so I don't think anything is wrong with it.BCCI has been proved right to some extent about DRS. People tend to forget it was BCCI who opted for DRS for the first time ever and we all know how well that DRS system worked and Ian bell in world cup , they got burnt with DRS so they don't want it nor they want any discussion about it.

[Karan114]

Incredible the lengths some Indian fans will go to defend the BCCI's draconian policies. Guess at the end of the day why blame BCCI, Dhoni and the rest of these scumbags when Indian fans themselves are willing to slavishly follow even what they are allowed to think.

[Sachinism]

It is called home commentary it is catered for home audience and why would they want to sling mud on themselves. Commentary is about providing objective analysis of that particular series or that particular match and it is not a platform to discuss state of affairs of the board. why would they want to have guys likeTony Greig or Nasser Hussain to keep on making same point every fricking time they got microphone just because they have an axe to grind with BCCI. BCCI has refrained their commentary team to discuss DRS as it does not trust so I don't think anything is wrong with it.BCCI has been proved right to some extent about DRS. People tend to forget it was BCCI who opted for DRS for the first time ever and we all know how well that DRS system worked and Ian bell in world cup , they got burnt with DRS so they don't want it nor they want any discussion about it.

Yup because keeping silent on a issue moves the world forward.

[putrevus]

Yup because keeping silent on a issue moves the world forward.

No let us have a board where they encourage players wives to sit on lap of some thief masquerading as a donor and savior.

[G_B_]

Yup because keeping silent on a issue moves the world forward.

Yup cause all other media avenues are silent on the issue as well. Infact last i checked news outlets like NDTV they were really silent on issues. Infact the silence in the indian print media is deafening..... If you think commentary is the only avenue of forming an opinion, then my friend the problem is at your end.

[Sachinism]

Yup cause all other media avenues are silent on the issue as well. Infact last i checked news outlets like NDTV they were really silent on issues. Infact the silence in the indian print media is deafening..... If you think commentary is the only avenue of forming an opinion, then my friend the problem is at your end.

I have an issue when someone claims to provide an impartial view is actually sitting in the pocket of Srinivasan. I wouldn't have an issue if they came out and they they're just spokespeople for BCCI, then fine, but don't go around pretending to be an 'expert' on the subject while feeding us one-sided BS of what you're 'daddy' has told you to say. I guess you have no issues with anyone spouting BS to the public, I guess politicians should have the right to feed us lies, because I'm sure there is someone out there to provide the opposite view making it all acceptable.

[Scarves]

I don't know what you are talking about Indian commies have this innate habit of praising opposition than their own team. Do you think Star sports is catered for people outside India then, It is catered for largest audience in world cricket naturally they will pump up their players too. Go and listen to last overs of champions trophy when Harsha was going nuts on how England lost that match rather than Indians winning it. Who the frick is Ian chappell to tell what Indians need to do, so If BCCI told him to shut his trap they have done right thing. BCCI and its production quality is another story altogether.

I do know because we get the same feed as everyone. It is catered to Indians therefore it is biased towards Indians much like Channel 9 is catered to Australians, Sky Sports to England, Sky Sports for New Zealand and so on. Ian Chappell is considered to be one of the best captains in test cricket, so he does have a valid opinion and has covered the game since the 70's. So he has the knowledge and the credentials to talk about cricket. Gavaskar also has the same right and ditto Shastri but instead of really going into the cricket and analyzing it, they are just catering to the masses who just want the basic stuff which is fair. My beef with Gavaskar is that he goes on a ramble which I can't understand why he goes on that ramble. Shastri is just putting out cliche after cliche. Champions Trophy feed was ICC feed not BCCI, sorry to tell you that. I'm not hating on the commentators at all but I'm hating on the fact that they can control on what has to be said which is a shame because Indian viewers and viewers around the world are missing out on a lot. It is really annoying that for example Dhoni drops a catch but no one is saying what he did wrong. It is just swept away. I want to know what Dhoni for example did wrong, so I can learn something of it.

[G_B_]

I have an issue when someone claims to provide an impartial view is actually sitting in the pocket of Srinivasan. I wouldn't have an issue if they came out and they they're just spokespeople for BCCI, then fine, but don't go around pretending to be an 'expert' on the subject while feeding us one-sided BS of what you're 'daddy' has told you to say. I guess you have no issues with anyone spouting BS to the public, I guess politicians should have the right to feed us lies, because I'm sure there is someone out there to provide the opposite view making it all acceptable.

where have they claimed that? even without restrictions people will have their biases. Ever listen to Geoff Boycott? everything is about the ashes. Rest everything does not matter. You do realise that even the media is in the pocket of somebody right? Especially in India. For all you know the journalists claiming to be impartial are controlled by media magnates who probably lost out on the India cricket rights. Zee television especially comes to mind.

[Sachinism]

where have they claimed that? even without restrictions people will have their biases. Ever listen to Geoff Boycott? everything is about the ashes. Rest everything does not matter. You do realise that even the media is in the pocket of somebody right? Especially in India. For all you know the journalists claiming to be impartial are controlled by media magnates who probably lost out on the India cricket rights. Zee television especially comes to mind.

I've heard commentators mention enough times they're supposed to provide an impartial view. That's the claim. I can't recall the time/date/sources, but I know Harsha has said it on numerous occasions. Yes everyone is in the pocket of somebody, but when you're in a position to provide an impartial view and you're giving one-side of the story, or just keep quiet like the matter is irrelevant then you realise their 'opinions' aren't worth my time. Having being muzzled by the BCCI, all they're there for is to promote sponsors at every opportunity, provide ill-informed information, be surprised by new players fans have known about for years and read the score just in case we can't.

[putrevus]

I do know because we get the same feed as everyone. It is catered to Indians therefore it is biased towards Indians much like Channel 9 is catered to Australians, Sky Sports to England, Sky Sports for New Zealand and so on. Ian Chappell is considered to be one of the best captains in test cricket, so he does have a valid opinion and has covered the game since the 70's. So he has the knowledge and the credentials to talk about cricket. Gavaskar also has the same right and ditto Shastri but instead of really going into the cricket and analyzing it, they are just catering to the masses who just want the basic stuff which is fair. My beef with Gavaskar is that he goes on a ramble which I can't understand why he goes on that ramble. Shastri is just putting out cliche after cliche. Champions Trophy feed was ICC feed not BCCI, sorry to tell you that. I'm not hating on the commentators at all but I'm hating on the fact that they can control on what has to be said which is a shame because Indian viewers and viewers around the world are missing out on a lot. It is really annoying that for example Dhoni drops a catch but no one is saying what he did wrong. It is just swept away. I want to know what Dhoni for example did wrong, so I can learn something of it.

As a listener I personally find Ian Chappell irritating , as he come across know it all guy, this is same guy who was saying it is Aussie system which was producing great talent and now say turns around and says system is rotten. while you may find their commentary irritating someone is finding it good otherwise they would not be on the job for this long, BCCI doing production started only recently. Champions Trophy feed was not ICC feed but star sports feed as they have the rights to all ICC events.My point was more about Bhogle and Indian commies's mentality. I don't think they are told not to discuss even dropped catches , it may be just an oversight on their part.

[G_B_]

I've heard commentators mention enough times they're supposed to provide an impartial view. That's the claim. I can't recall the time/date/sources, but I know Harsha has said it on numerous occasions. Yes everyone is in the pocket of somebody, but when you're in a position to provide an impartial view and you're giving one-side of the story, or just keep quiet like the matter is irrelevant then you realise their 'opinions' aren't worth my time. Having being muzzled by the BCCI, all they're there for is to promote sponsors at every opportunity, provide ill-informed information, be surprised by new players fans have known about for years and read the score just in case we can't.

commentators never have an impartial view. Otherwise we would never have the likes of Botham. Thats just a throw away line to convince us. Secondly the term "view" is highly subjective. Take Ian Chappell. When his brother was in charge of India he had a very partial view of India (being very good). When his brother was sacked that view changed. Now Ian chappell was not muzzled by anybody but was prone to his own bias. I notice for example Michael Vaughan refuses to be critical of Duncan fletcher as the coach due to them sharing a bond. Its wrong to assume that only the board can muzzle a commentator. These guys are human beings and want relations between themselves and the people who run the game and the players to be smooth. and if their opinions are not worth your time. By all means turn it of. I have mentioned myself in this thread i mute the television when Harsha comes on to commentate. I cant stand his non stop talking. but thats the way he is. Its my choice not to listen. But i certainly am not going to call him a sell out. Considering most people sell out in their lives.

[King Tendulkar]

Incredible the lengths some Indian fans will go to defend the BCCI's draconian policies. Guess at the end of the day why blame BCCI' date=' Dhoni and the rest of these scumbags when Indian fans themselves are willing to slavishly follow even what they are allowed to think.[/quote'] Exactly. Starting to think some here I paid stooges of BCCI. To defenc comms paid by BCCI to say what BCCI is said. Or as some pathetically trying to say that they are actually impartial blah blah Wake up and smell the coffee fools