“My mom used to throw these lines at me” - Gabba 2021 commentator relives iconic stint ahead of BGT 2024-25 3rd Test
Former cricketer-turned-commentator Vivek Razdan recently opened up about his iconic commentary lines in the fourth and final Test at the Gabba in Brisbane during India's 2020-21 tour of Australia. For the unversed, Razdan's words 'Toota hai Gabba ka ghamand' (Gabba's ego has been destroyed) are still etched in the memories of fans who watched the Hindi feed as India won by three wickets to seal the series 2-1. Rishabh Pant slammed a match-winning four and Radzan's words become immortal.
Ahead of the upcoming third Test of the ongoing 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at the Gabba, Razdan explained how his mother played a big role in shaping his incredible journey into a famous Hindi commentator.
Vivek Razdan told ESPNcricinfo:
"I'm a Kashmiri Pandit, and Hindi is my mother tongue. And my mom comes from UP, she comes from Lucknow. 'Doosron ko nasihat, aap miyan fazihat' - you are telling someone to do certain things in a certain way, and you yourself are not able to do it. So my mom used to throw these lines at me, and I was always fascinated."
"When I grew up, I never knew I'll get into this line [of work], so once I started commentary, and then Hindi commentary came in in a big way, I started trying to speak to my mom - 'Tell me all these lines that you heard as a child growing up in Lucknow.' And it got me more interested in it."
He added:
"Then I started reading, reading a lot. The poets of repute during that time, Mirza Ghalib, [Allama] Iqbal, all of them. The other thing that excited me was, these are certain lines or certain phrases being used over the years for portraying different emotions. How can I relate it to my sport? That is where the challenge came. So then I had to really go deep, study it, make my own adjustments, make my own lines, make my own rhymes. And over a period of time I kept writing them, kept writing them."
Radzan's reaction came as India became the first team to beat Australia at the Gabba after 31 Tests over 32 years
Razdan coined a special phrase for Pant, who wasn't in the playing XI during the series opener. The southpaw was the architect behind India's win, scoring 274 runs at an average of 68.5 in three Tests. He said:
"Khoobiyaan bhi mujhme, khaamiyaan bhi mujhme. Dhoondnewaale tu soch, chahiye kya mujhme?" (There are virtues within me, shortcomings too. Ask yourself, seeker, what is it you want from me?)"
"Many things said against that team, the emotions were so high" - Vivek Razdan on his choice of words after India beat Australia at the Gabba
Vivek Razdan credited Team India for winning the Gabba Test and the series 2-1 after getting bowled out for 36 in the first Test in Adelaide. He said during the same interaction:
"Each and every day, each and every game, there were so many different people who were coming up and raising their hand and showing that sort of character, and what they were made of."
"So these emotions were building over time, over all those days and Test matches. By the time we got to the fifth day of that final Test match, needing more than 300 runs, with so many things said against that team, the emotions were so high."
He added:
"I am a big believer in destiny and I'm so grateful that I was doing that stint and I was there on the mic on that day, and luckily, with the blessing of the almighty, those particular words came to me. They weren't words, they were a feeling and an emotion."
Vivek Razdan is an alumni of Delhi's St. Columba's School, where actor Shahrukh Khan amd political leader Rahul Gandhi also studied. As a cricketer, he represented India in two Tests and three ODIs.