Harsha Bhogle clarifies on-air Virat Kohli 'criticism' as Twitter user highlights the same

India defeated Australia by six wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday, December 6 to clinch the ongoing three-match T20I series with a game to spare. In-form batsmen Hardik Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan and ‘Men in Blue’ skipper Virat Kohli played starring roles with the bat after T Natarajan bowled some tight yorkers to Australia in their innings. Apparently, as evidenced from the live game itself, Virat Kohli is the star attraction for the Australian broadcasters for the entire India vs Australia 2020 series ‘Down Under’.

During the second India vs Australia T20I, Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle pointed out an incident for the television viewers when he was on-air narrating the events for the broadcasting channel. According to him, the Australian broadcasters are focusing on Virat Kohli, thus indicating that the entire series is “built” on the modern-day Indian legend.

India vs Australia 2020: Virat Kohli and co. pocket series at Sydney Cricket Ground

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India vs Australia 2020: Harsha Bhogle clarifies his “politely critical” remark for a fan on Twitter

After India’s emphatic series-clinching win, a Twitter user wrote Harsha Bhogle’s exact quote of the incident describing the excessive attention being granted to Virat Kohli by the broadcasters. While on commentary, Bhogle pointed out that the focus of cameras was on Kohli joining the crease even though KL Rahul had gotten out and was walking back to the pavilion at the same time. The renowned commentator later stated that the “whole series” looks to be “built” on Kohli’s popularity.

According to the commentator, the quote was apparently taken into a different context by several fans with some claiming that Harsha Bhogle himself is hyping up the Indian cricketer. The ‘Voice of Cricket’ later clarified his statement, saying that he was simply “amused” and being “political critical” of what he saw during the live broadcast. Here is a look at Harsha Bhogle’s original on-air quote on the Indian captain as well as his clarification for fans regarding the same.

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India vs Australia Test squad for upcoming 2020-21 series

Here is a look at entire India vs Australia Test squad for the upcoming series.

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj.

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade and David Warner.

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India vs Australia 3rd T20I live streaming details

For India vs Australia 3rd T20I live telecast in India, fans can tune into the Sony Pictures Sports Network (SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 3 and SONY SIX). Meanwhile, for India vs Australia live scores, one can visit the official website and social media pages of the BCCI and Cricket Australia. The live streaming of India vs Australia 3rd T20I will be available for fans on the SonyLIV app. The match is scheduled to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday, December 8 and the action is slated to commence from 1:40 pm IST onwards.

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Image source: Harsha Bhogle and BCCI Twitter