10 Best Indian Commentator Ever!! India is a country obsessed with cricket. One important factor that makes Indian cricket more enjoyable is the commentators. Their commentary puts an extra element, which creates a more exciting atmosphere.
There is no doubt that there are many great Indian cricket players. Their exceptional skills and abilities make the game enjoyable for live audiences and fans behind the screens.
Many commentators have lent their voices to numerous cricket matches over the years. However, only some have earned the title of the best.
One interesting thing about Indian cricket commentators is that some are former players.
For instance, former national team captain Sourav Ganguly, who has a net worth of $80 million as of 2024, is among the influential cricket commentators.
Such individuals’ in-depth knowledge about the sport, experience, and entertaining commentary style have won the hearts of many cricket fans.
Today, we have compiled and ranked the 10 best Indian commentators ever.
10 Best Indian Commentators Ever
We have taken Sportskeeda as our primary reference for this article. Before getting into the intricate details, let us look at the preview.
| Name | Age |
| 10. Arun Lal | 68 Years Old |
| 9. Navjot Singh Sidhu | 60 Years Old |
| 8. Sanjay Manjrekar | 58 Years Old |
| 7. Ravi Chaturvedi | 86 Years Old |
| 6. Anjum Chopra | 46 Years Old |
| 5. Murali Karthik | 47 Years Old |
| 4. Sourav Ganguly | 51 Years Old |
| 3. Ravi Shastri | 61 Years Old |
| 2. Sunil Gavaskar | 74 Years Old |
| 1. Harsha Bhogle | 62 Years Old |
10. Arun Lal
Starting our list on number 10, we have a retired Indian cricketer turned commentator, Arun Lal. His professional playing career spanned between 1982 and 1989.
Lal began his professional career in 1982 when he made his ODI debut against England. Similarly, he also made his Test debut the same year against Sri Lanka.
On the domestic side, he played for the Bengal and Delhi teams.
With the Delhi cricket team, Lal scored over 10,000 runs with a top score of 287 and a batting average of 46.94. In 2001, he retired from all forms of cricket.
After his playing career, Lal started his career as a commentator. He usually commentated on domestic matches broadcasted by Star Sports.
After being diagnosed with jaw Cancer in 2016, Lal refrained from the commentary box. Presently, he serves as the head coach of the Bengal cricket team.
9. Navjot Singh Sidhu
Navjot Singh Sidhu is a former Indian cricketer who became a commentator and television following his retirement. His professional playing career spanned over 19 years.
Sidhu made his first-class debut playing for Punjab in 1981. Then he made his test debut in 1983 against West Indies and his ODI debut in 1987 in a match against Australia.
During his playing career, his six-hitting ability earned him the nickname “Sixer Sidhu,” and he mostly played as a top-order batter. After his retirement, Sidhu started his commentator career.
Similarly, he is also a well-known television personality. He is most notably known for being a judge of comedy shows and a contestant in the reality television show 2012 Big Boss.
Sidhu’s commentaries are famous for being more of a podcast ramble. His habit of long talk has made him popular among cricket fans.
Additionally, Sidhu also ventured into politics. He is a former Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs in the state government of the State of Punjab.
8. Sanjay Manjrekar
On number 8 of the best Indian commentator ever, we have former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar. He made his first-class cricket debut for Bombay in 1985 against Haryana.
His career’s most successful run was during the 199-91 season, where he scored four centuries and one half-century in eight appearances.
Manjrekar’s father was a former cricket player who played for India between 1952 and 1965.
In 1987, Manjrekar made his Test debut against the West Indies and his ODI debut in 1998, also against West Indies.
After his playing career, he began working as a cricket commentator. He is well known for his crisp and perfect analysis, which earned him the title of one of the best Indian commentators.
Besides being a commentator, Manjrekar is also a successful anchor.
7. Ravi Chaturvedi
Ravi Chaturvedi is known to be the first Indian sports commentator in Hindi. Born and raised in Delhi, he made his debut as the first Hindi commentator on All India Radio in 1961.
Before his debut in 1961, there was no Hindi coverage of all major sporting events. In 1960, the Government of India decided to change this, and thus began Chaturvedi’s career as a commentator.
Besides being a commentator, he also worked as a freelance journalist. He regularly wrote in prominent national dailies in both Hindi and English language. Chaturvedi also wrote for major sports weeklies.
His writing expanded to international countries like Australia, England (Wisden), and West Indies.
Chaturvedi is a legendary figure in Indian cricket. As a commentator, he has covered 116 Test matches and 220 ODIs.
He is also the author of twenty-seven books on cricket, seventeen in English, five in Hindi, and one in Marathi.
6. Anjum Chopra
On number 6 of the best Indian commentator ever, we have a former cricketer and captain of India’s national women’s cricket team Anjum Chopra.
She is widely recognized as the face of women’s cricket as a player, commentator, author, and actor.
Chopra made her ODI debut in 1995 against New Zealand. Similarly, she also made her Test debut the same year against England. Her national playing career spanned from 1995 to 2012.
As a professional player, Chopra earned numerous accolades. Just after her second series for India in 1995, she was awarded player of the series in the ODI.
Likewise, she also was the first woman to score 1,000 runs in ODIs for India.
Chopra has paved the way for women in male-dominated sports in India. Her athleticism and skills made her the face of women’s cricket.
She is considered one of the best female cricketers in history.
5. Murali Karthik
Murali Karthik is a former cricketer turned commentator. He is our fifth-best Indian commentator ever and played for the national team from 2000 to 2007.
Karthik is well known for his slow left-arm orthodox bowling and ability to spin and bounce.
He started his cricket journey in a junior system in Delhi. Similarly, he also was part of their Under-16 team in 1992.
In 2000, Karthik made his Test match debut against South Africa. His ODI debut was two years later, in 2002, against Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately, his career as a professional cricketer did not get to flourish much.
Besides playing domestic cricket, Karthik also played for the Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore. Since 2015, he has been part of the IPL commentary team.
Likewise, Karthik also regularly comments on the home games of the Indian national team. His simple yet fluent commentary has made him one of the best commentators in India.
4. Sourav Ganguly
On number 4 of the best Indian commentator ever, we have a former national cricket team captain, Sourav Ganguly. This former cricketer-turned-commentator is one of the world’s leading batsmen.
Ganguly is one of the most successful captains of the Indian national cricket team. At an early age, he was influenced by his elder brother to play cricket.
Similarly, he played in different domestic tournaments before making his international debut.
He made his ODI debut in 1992, playing against West Indies, while his Test debut was in 1996 against England.
Ganguly is the eighth-highest run-scorer in ODI and the third batsman to cross the 10,000-run landmark.
For his numerous achievements and contribution to the national team, Ganguly was awarded one of India’s highest civilian awards, Padma Shri, in 2004.
Sourav is also among the 17 richest cricketers in the world.
After his retirement in 2008, he began his commentary career. As a former player and with his vast knowledge, Ganguly has proven himself to be a great commentator and analyst.
3. Ravi Shastri
Born as Ravishankar Jayadrinath Shastri, we have Ravi Shastri as number 3 of the best Indian commentator ever. He is a former captain of the Indian cricket team.
Since his teen years, Shastri has taken the sport seriously. He made his domestic career debut representing the Bombay team.
Likewise, he made his national team debut in the Under-19 division in 1980-81.
Shastri made his Test debut in 1981 against New Zealand. Similarly, he made his ODI debut the same year against England.
His most notable achievement was being elected Champion of Champions in the World Championship of Cricket in 1985. The championship was held in Australia.
After a recurring knee injury, Shastri’s career was cut short at age 31. After his retirement, Shastri served as the head coach for the Indian national cricket team.
He has also earned a reputation as one of the best Indian commentators and commented on many iconic moments of Indian cricket.
2. Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar is another former cricketer who turned into a commentator. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen.
While in his school years, Gavaskar was named India’s Best Schoolboy Cricketer of the year in 1966.
Similarly, he was also part of the college cricket team. He made his first-class debut in 1966-67 for Vazir Sultan Colts XI.
In 1971, Gavaskar made his test debut against West Indies. His ODI debut was in 1974 against England. Likewise, he played for the national team from 1971 to 1987.
For his contribution to the sport, Gavaskar was honored with the Arjuna Award and the civilian honor, the Padma Bhushan. In 2009, he was also inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
After he retired from his playing career, Gavaskar became a commentator. He is well known for both Hindi and English commentary.
His experience and knowledge about the sport further make for an enjoyable commentary.
1. Harsha Bhogle
The number 1 best Indian commentator is Harsha Bhogle. Aside from being a commentator, he is also a journalist.
Bhogle played in the A division cricket in Hyderabad from an early age.
He started commentating on All India Radio at age 19. He was the first Indian commentator the Australian Broadcasting Corporation invited in 1991-92, just before the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Since then, Bhogle has worked for ABC Radio Grandstand, BBC, ESPN STAR Sports, etc. He has been presenting live cricket from all around the world.
Likewise, he has also been on the commentary panel for IPL.
Bhogle is considered one of the finest commentators in India. His long years of experience and knowledge make for a fun and engaging analysis and commentary.
He is currently one of the Board Governors of IIM Udaipur.
Conclusion
The commentary part of the sport adds to the fun of the game. Every action of the player and the live commentary makes the sport more thrilling and puts the fans on the edges of their seats.
These commentators on our list are the very best at what they do. They have been part of much memorable gameplay, and their voices stand out from the rest.
Don’t forget to check out the commentaries of these best commentators.
Thank you for reading!
