Presentation ceremony hosted by noted commentator Harsha Bhogle after India was crushed to a pulp by New Zealand in the first Test on October 20th. Under protocol, both teams’ captains normally go for post-match interviews to give voice to their thoughts about the game played. However, Harsha Bhogle surprised everyone this time as he assured Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, not to take too much of a beating from him given the throttling handed over by New Zealand at Bengaluru.
New Zealand achieved the modest target of 107 runs on the final day with quite some ease and for the first time managed to win a Test in India since 1988. The last time they won was in Mumbai; this was probably an extraordinary victory for the Blackcaps, while for India, it is just nothing but a shocking collapse, making the team face acute scrutiny about its performance.
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Rohit, usually known for his composed nature, just a few days ago light-heartedly mocked the media spotlight that seemed to have weighed him down on this tour. He quipped at a media interaction after India’s embarrassing collapse for a paltry 46 runs in a game earlier, telling reporters, “Chalao talwar,” or “draw your swords,” referring to the sharp questions he was going to face.
Rohit Sharma was crying when Harsha Bhogle support him after losing, Harsha said ” Yahan koi talwar nahin chalegi” #INDvsNZ #RohitSharma𓃵 pic.twitter.com/OYCzHkLHCk
— Republic of Games (@republicofgames) October 20, 2024
All this, Bhogle had anticipated, and so he was in a mood to diffuse all the tension before his interview with Rohit. Indian captain, being the professional he is, took full responsibility and felt himself to be to blame for the bad loss. He confessed that he did not believe that it would collapse when it did- thought it would be a challenge in overcast conditions- but was hopeful. “We won’t worry about this defeat. We will prepare better for Pune”.
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Harsha Bhogle, not missing his light-hearted personality, teased Rohit, “Yahan koi talwaar nahi chalegi,” which translates to “no swords will be drawn here.” And one could see that though serious this act had brought a smile to both of their faces, with an eye on the next game.
