After his unceremonious ouster from this year's Indian Premier League, 54-year-old cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, a familiar face since the start of the IPL since 2008, said in an emotional Facebook post he was deeply touched by the outpouring of messages on social media in his support.
Bhogle has said he was informed about the termination of his IPL contract only a week back, according to the Indian Express.
"I must confess I am a little uncomfortable with all the attention I have been getting recently. I am just a cricket commentator. I go to a cricket match, tell the story of what happened, look for joy within it if possible and come back feeling blessed to have had the opportunity. I tell the story, I am not the story," Bhogle, who was taken by surprise by the decision, said.
Would have been nice to be part of @IPL again. Was in fact looking forward to it. Favourite tournament. Hope #IPL9 is a blockbuster.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 9, 2016
I don't know what lies ahead. I have a contract with Star Sports with whom I share an excellent relationship. It is the reason why I don't have to do the IPL.
"I don't know what lies ahead. I have a contract with Star Sports with whom I share an excellent relationship. It is the reason why I don't have to do the IPL. I do it because I genuinely like the cricket on offer, I want to be part of cricket's laboratory to see what is brewing. It is a fantastic tournament," he said.
ALSO READ: #BringHarshaBack, Say Distraught Fans
He said he still did not know why he was not doing the IPL.
"I can accept the fact that people don't like me. But I genuinely hope it isn't because cricketers have complained about what I have to say. I tell every young cricketer who cares to listen that we will never agree on everything but I will always desire that they do well; that I cannot stop them from scoring a run, or taking a wicket or holding a catch. Doing that is their job, telling the story of what they did, or didn't, is mine. Our paths will be strewn with admiration and disagreement. It is the nature of the job whether you are a university level cricketer or among the best there has been," he wrote.
Here's his full post.
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