PORVORIM: T20 cricket is an exciting format and what makes it even more electric, are the ground commentators and DJ music. Haresh Kakodkar is a popular English commentator at cricket tournaments across Goa. Being a cricket player himself representing PWD, and formerly Bannerman and Rising Stars of Shirvoi; Kakodkar is a technical expert on the game. Thus, his commentary is a mix of the proceedings, witty remarks and expert comment as he watches every delivery, perched in the GCA Academy gallery at the ongoing Manohar Parrikar Trophy T20 cricket tournament organised by Yuva de Goa here.
An engineer by profession working in PWD, Kakodkar started out doing commentary in local tournaments in Curchorem during the weekends when a back injury halted his competitive cricket for sometime. In this journey of a decade, he has coined some interesting analogies and belts them out during the matches.
“Pace without accuracy and direction is like alcohol in sanitizer. You can apply to your hands and smell it, but cannot drink it,” quips Kakodkar when a bowler sprays a wayward delivery that “does not serve the purpose”, he reasons out.
Another of his very hilarious taunt is for a batsman. “Switch hits and reverse hits are now very common in T20 cricket. They are like calls from your wife; if you pick it well on time, you are safe but if you miss a single one, you might be in big trouble,” says Kakodkar.
Before the match begins, Kakodkar anchors the toss and also conducts post-match presentations as Manohar Parrikar Trophy T20 is being live-streamed on ‘7070 Sports Highlights’ YouTube Channel.
This trend of commentary at cricket grounds has caught on across the state not just for seasonball tournaments but also in tennis ball events. Great addition to the sport one must say, as the youngsters in particular watching the game can gain a lot of knowledge, not just about cricket but also in general, listening to the likes of passionate Kakodkar!
