Mr Harsha Bhogle is widely acknowledged to be not just the voice, but the face of Indian cricket. He started at a time when few Indian broadcasters were considered good enough to be on overseas networks. But he changed those perceptions, especially in 1999 when a poll on an independent website rated him the number one commentator for the season.
He brings a fresh perspective to cricket and is seen as a voice of reason which makes him acceptable across all cultures. His interesting background, a chemical engineer and an alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad has made him a role model for many.
He has been the face of ESPN from the day the channel was launched, and that role grew to include Star Sports and Star Cricket which also broadcast signature programmes like “Harsha Unplugged” and “Harsha On-line”.
Mr Bhogle has now commentated on over four hundred one-day internationals, over a hundred test matches and has been closely associated with T20 cricket, right from the first game that India played, through six IPL tournaments, five Champions Leagues and five T20 World Cups.
His columns are widely read, and a selection of those has been put together in a book called “Out of the Box”. His video blogs “Step Out with Harsha” were quite popular and he now has over a million followers on Twitter.
Mr Bhogle is a brand ambassador for Boehringer Ingelheim (Stroke Awareness).