The cricket commentator who was the voice of Doordarshan while moonlighting as a doctor



Dr Narottam Puri pictured at his home in New Delhi

He was the face of sports on Doordarshan (DD) in the pre-cable television era, and even though Narottam Puri is largely away from the airwaves now, his voice is still instantly recognisable.

An ENT specialist by profession, Puri has had a long stint behind the microphone for radio and TV.



His medical career was always his priority, otherwise one would have heard him a lot more even after private sports channels arrived.



A long innings

"I have no regrets. It has been a long innings. I got to travel a lot and enjoyed a lot. I treated it as a hobby," Puri said.



"I still appear on DD for Fourth Umpire. As the public broadcaster telecasts only ODIs and T-20 matches, there is limited airtime."



Puri took to commentary after watching his father Devraj with a mic in hand.



"I started as a scorer when my father was doing commentary on radio. I also played the game at university level. When my father passed away, I was asked if I would like to do commentary. I was initially hired for a day, and then offered the job on permanent basis," the 67-year-old doctor said.



"Apart from my father, I was a big admirer of radio commentators John Arlott and Alan McGilvray. Among Indians, there were the likes of Berry Sarbadhikari and Dicky Rutnagur."



Changed times

However, Puri feels current commentators indulge in a lot more chatter than was the trend during his time.



"Among TV commentators, there is no one quite like Richie Benuad. He uses the fewest words necessary to get his point across, and lets the picture do most of the talking. Ian Chappell is very blunt, while Michael Atherton is also very good," he said.



Double-life: Dr Puri in his guise as a sporting commentator (left) and as an ENT specialist (right)



"Frequently, there are three commentators on air at the same time. So there is no spell of silence. In my time, there was no commercial break after every over," the commentator recollects.



Having started commentary in 1971, Puri has seen it evolve over the decades.

