'Sachin Tendulkar was a master of the game but behaved like a servant' - Harsha Bhogle
Renowned cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has mentioned that he called Sachin Tendulkar as a master of the game who behaved like a servant because of the humility the Indian batting great showed on the cricket pitch.
In an interaction on the YouTube show Cric Cast, Harsha Bhogle spoke about his emotions while speaking on air on the day of Sachin Tendulkar's retirement from international cricket.
Harsha Bhogle was asked if the words he spoke at the time of Sachin Tendulkar's retirement had been prepared beforehand or if they were spontaneous. The Voice of Indian cricket responded that such things can never be pre-planned.
"You definitely cannot prepare that because if you prepare and you think that you would say something in a particular situation, if that situation does not happen you have nothing to say and there is a mismatch between the situation and your words."
Harsha Bhogle revealed that he wasn't even aware that he would be speaking at that moment but the producer had given him that opportunity, knowing fully well that the former had known Sachin Tendulkar since he was 14 years old.
"I was not aware that I will be talking at that time, probably I was thinking that if I do the presentation how I would do it. But the producer who was there at that moment, he knew that I know Tendulkar since he was 14. So, probably I would understand that mood better than anyone else."
Harsha Bhogle also recalled Ian Bishop, the co-commentator at that time, allowing him to speak fully understanding that the atmosphere called for someone closer to Sachin Tendulkar wielding the microphone.
"So, I was there along with Ian Bishop and if you play attention and hear the full thing, Ian Bishop has spoken only one line there and didn't say anything else. I asked him later why he didn't say anything and he replied that it was my opportunity, the atmosphere was created for me."
The Hyderabad-born commentator added that he was the best person to do the job because he could understand the feelings of the multitude of fans.
"And there has been a tradition created that if one commentator is better at something, the other does not talk. But I understood the emotion much better because I could understand the feelings of the common man."
Harsha Bhogle on getting emotional during Sachin Tendulkar's farewell moments
On being asked if he had got emotional while speaking about Sachin Tendulkar's retirement, Harsha Bhogle replied in the affirmative while highlighting the dilemma in front of a commentator to conceal his feelings while talking in front of a global audience.
"Absolutely. There is a fight going on within a commentator whether the emotion inside him should be seen by the public or not. Assumimg it is an India-Pakistan match and I am on a world feed, I cannot show my emotions to everyone, they have to remain within me."
He pointed out that this was an extraordinary situation where the emotions were bound to come to the fore, considering the feelings of everyone present at the ground.
"But this was one moment, that everyone was so emotional, people were crying at the stadium, so you could let the emotion come. It was not a day to hold back the emotions, it was a day to let the emotions reign free."
Harsha Bhogle reminded everyone that were moments of silence in between as the scenes at the stadium explained everything and he understood what Sachin Tendulkar was feeling.
"It worked very well but if you see, there were lot of pauses. Because the pictures were speaking so beautifully that you didn't need words. But I knew exactly what he felt."
Harsha Bhogle talked about the incident when Sachin Tendulkar, after being reminded by Virat Kohli, went back to the Wankhede Stadium pitch to pay his respect. The commentator observed that the gesture showed the Master Blaster's humility because of which the former had called him as a master of the game who behaved like a servant.
"After he goes back, I think Virat reminds him that he had forgotten something. He went all the way back to pay respect to the Wankhede. I knew he would do that. Because I knew he is that kind of person. That is why I had said that he was a master of the game but behaved as a servant."
Harsha Bhogle also mentioned that he knew that Sachin Tendulkar would have kept a chit in his trouser pocket, just to make sure that he doesn't forget anyone during his farewell speech.
"I also knew that he would pull out the chit from his pocket while doing the final speech. Because there was an occasion when I had reminded him that he had not spoken about Anjali when he was speaking at a function. So he remembered that he could not forget anyone."
Sachin Tendulkar played his final Test match, the 200th of his illustrious career, against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He was unfortunately dismissed for 74 runs in India's only innings in the Test match, to be denied a fully-deserved century in his last encounter.