Harsha Bhogle is saddened by the way the India vs Australia series is being reported

Controversy, banter and on field altercations are all part of the game, they happen because people competing for top honours want to rattle their opponent and gain some advantage by playing on their opponent’s mind. But the backdrop of cricket remains, something that the journalists of both countries have totally forgotten about.

Harsha Bhogle is saddened by the fact that this India Australia series, for all the brilliant cricket that has taken place, will be remembered for its toxicity. And he blames the media to a large extent for that.

The DRS gate, Australian players mocking Kohli’s shoulder injury and Kohli’s press conference comments have dominated sports websites and news channels. Is it so difficult to look past the ‘controversy cloud’ and admire the gaze of the moon?

Journalists generally tend to take the easy way out and try to focus on things that are either easy or that attract massive public interest. A lot of people watch the sport because their country is involved in it on a massive scale, and not because they love to enjoy the nuances of it. And that is what these journalists try to exploit. Not everyone would love to talk about how Pujara’s stance during a bowler’s delivery stride helps him to smother spin. Or how Kohli’s bat coming down straight would never make him fall over, even when is flicking the ball to the leg side, or how Smith’s antics before a ball is being delivered make not much difference as his head is so balanced.

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People don’t want to understand the physics behind a reversing ball, they don’t want to talk about the tactics of drying up runs, or the importance of staying low for a slip fielder, because analysing cricket is way tougher than talking about meagre controversies that spark hatred.

Harsha Bhogle too believes that the way this series has been reported hasn’t done much justice to the sport as cricket journalists get into the profession because of their love for cricket storytelling, and not controversy storytelling. They need to be reminded of that, or else we could be in for more talk and less substance.

Here are some of his tweets on this matter

We genuinely hope that the focus shifts back on cricket, because my word there is some absolutely brilliant stuff happening on the pitch.