NEW DELHI: During the first ODI between India and New Zealand on Sunday, a commentary moment sparked major controversy. Former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar was on commentary duty. He was part of the Hindi commentary panel. During the match, he referred to Hindi as the “national language of India.” The comment quickly drew criticism. The incident happened during the 13th over of the match. India had won the toss and decided to bowl first. Washington Sundar was bowling that over. Wicketkeeper KL Rahul looked unhappy with Washington’s pace.
Former fast bowler Varun Aaron was also on commentary. He mentioned that KL Rahul and Washington Sundar spoke in Tamil. Aaron said that KL told Washington he was bowling at the pace of a medium pacer. After this, Varun Aaron asked a question on air. He wondered if Washington Sundar understands Tamil better. At this point, Sanjay Bangar joined in and said he believes in Hindi, subsequently calling Hindi the “national language of India.” Soon after the comment, backlash followed on social media. Many fans reacted strongly. Several users pointed out that India does not have a national language. Hindi is one of the official languages of India. Many accused Bangar of making a factual mistake. The topic began trending online during the match. While the debate continued off the field, the game moved on. New Zealand posted a strong total. Daryl Mitchell played a key role, having scored an attacking 84. Thanks to that, New Zealand reached 300 for 8. India’s bowlers struck at regular intervals. Mohammed Siraj took two wickets. Harshit Rana took two wickets. Prasidh Krishna also picked up two wickets. New Zealand’s openers started well. Devon Conway scored 56. Henry Nicholls scored 62. The pair added 117 runs. Harshit Rana broke the partnership. He dismissed Nicholls. He then bowled Conway in the next over. Siraj removed Will Young for 12. Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Glenn Phillips for 12. Prasidh Krishna bowled Mitchell Hay for 18. Daryl Mitchell remained steady. He registered another strong ODI knock. He was run out after a direct hit from Shreyas Iyer. Debutant Kristian Clarke stayed unbeaten on 24. The ODI series will be followed by five T20 matches. The games will lead into the T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.