Cricketers make the game look better. And commentators make the game sound better. The perfect elbow-up cover drive is a piece of art, reverse-swing is a piece of art, and so is describing the perfect cover drive and reverse-swing using best chosen words. Commentary is like story-telling. And to do it requires a person much more than just cricketing knowledge. A perfect blend of words and cricketing knowledge makes a good commentator. Therefore, it's an art. And if commentary is an art, Harsha Bhogle is the Picasso of it.

He describes the game like no one else. The minute details of the game are known to most of the people after listening to Harsha Bhogle. If there are 2-3 ways to hit a ball, Harsha has at least 5 ways to describe the same shot hit by the batter. His knowledge of the game is spot on, and it blended with his sublime communication skills makes him pleasing to the ears. What baffles most of the viewers is the fact that Harsha he describes everything in cricket the best, in spite of not having played at a higher level. It's because of his love for the game, is he able to do that. His story is inspiring for millions.

A very studios student, Bhogle was always in awe of the gentlemen's game. He represented his University team. He wanted to be a cricketer initially, but fate had different and better plans for him and cricketing world. He showed early glimpses of his commentary skills. His command over the language, and unbelievable storytelling was one of the reasons when a mere 19 year old Harsha was chosen to commentate on All India Radio. And his journey began.

He started too early. Whereas mostly commentators even on radio chosen were mid 30-40s people having experience of the game, Harsha was in his teens when he got the opportunity. In spite of being so young , his analysis of the game was spot on. His reading of the game and it's situations was strong, which often resulted in his accurate predictions. Therefore , his predictions were often criticised early on, only to know that those were right later on. Which is why, a 21 year old columnist Harsha predicted that India genuinely had a chance to win the 1983 world cup, even before the tournament started. And his words turned out to be true.

He always had a habit of being at the top. His dreams were never shallow. A result of which he was one of the students to get selected for the most prestigious Business School of India , IIM Ahmedabad. His habit of working hard fetched him wonders, and a seat in Indian Institute of Management was one of those. A very tough schedule in the IIM however didn't stop him from writing columns about his favourite sport. And he continued doing that even when he got selected for a job.

He always believed in working hard, and his hard work for the game he loved paid off, when he was chosen by ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) as a commentator for a series in 1992. He became the first Indian commentator to be invited by ABC. And since then, he never looked back. He worked for many prestigious organisations like BBC, ESPN, cricbuzz and so on. He continued to commentate, he never stopped, and he continues to make cricket beautiful to listen.

Even today , Harsha Bhogle continues to rule the world of cricket commentary. His words are etched into the hearts of cricket fans all over the globe. His dramatic way of describing even the simplest shots makes it a treat for the fans to listen. There have been numerous occasions of Sachin Tendulkar playing his trademark straight drive. However, the best description of it was when Harsha said "Open the textbook, turn to page 32"! And many many more such times , when he described the on field happenings like no other person on the planet can do.

He is loved by everyone, except for a few ex-cricketers who complain that he has not played at international level. But what most of them fail to describe, he does it with ease. Storytelling has been his strength, which brings best out of him, and enthralls the audience. Which is why, it is not most of the ex cricketers, but Harsha who is chosen as face of commentary for many endorsements. He is not just popular amongst cricket fans, his popularity has grown leaps and bounds in other sport fans as well. Just a few days back, Peter Drury, the voice of most popular sport football termed Harsha as "his hero for commentary" before meeting him.

And truly, he is a hero. He is an inspiration for millions of people who want to become like him. He stated the world that if you work hard for what you want, you will achieve it no matter what. And that's what he has achieved , the hearts of billions of fans. When he speaks, the fans go silent as they don't want to miss anything. A person hardly blinks his eyes listening to his webinars which go for hours. And he never disappoints them. A hero for many, the best commentator in cricketing world, finest analyst of the game, a great columnist, and an even better person, Harsha Bhogle turns 62 years old today. And we wish the voice of cricket a very happy birthday, and pray to God to have this man commentate till cricket will ever be played