Navjot Singh Sidhu in a cricket show
He is already known for being a former cricketer of the Indian cricket team, after which he also played a role in the famous Kapil Sharma show, which made his mic skills even better. Here, we will be taking a look at some of the funniest commentary moments of Navjot Singh Sidhu when he entertained the fans with his lines.
Navjot Singh Sidhu is known for his various iconic lines in commentary, which also include “Agar meri Chachi ki Muche hoti, toh main usse Chacha kehta”. When translated into English, it is “If my aunt had a moustache, I would call her my uncle”. He gave this iconic commentary line various times during the matches, and one of them even included a match in Pakistan, where the team needed 14 runs off 2 balls. Ramiz Raja, defining the situation of the game, said that if Pakistan hits a six off a no-ball, there’s a chance for the team to grab a win. Navjot Singh Sidhu responded with this line and added some laughter to the commentary panel.
Navjot Singh Sidhu has been hilarious even while describing the stance of the batsman in the cricket matches. Saying about the gap between the bat and pad, Navjot Singh Sidhu said, “Balle aur Pad ke beech itna gap hai ki main iske beech se car chala sakta tha”.
In English, it says, “There is so much gap between the bat and the pad that I could drive a car through it”. Although it would definitely not be possible for a car to be driven in the gap, it was truly hilarious for the fans and other commentators listening to Sidhu give such examples of the match situations.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is known for his fast stumping in both IPL and international matches. Although he has been retired from the international format in 2019, Dhoni’s stumping is still seen by fans with his lightning-quick hands in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings, where Sidhu is still a commentator. However, in a T20 World Cup clash between India and Sri Lanka, MS Dhoni did a magnificent stumping, but the batter was way out of his crease. When it was shown in the replays, Navjot Singh Sidhu said, “Ballebaaz crease ke itna bahar nikle ki Dhoni ne pehle chai pi, phir akhbaar padha aur phir jaakar stump out kia”. If translated to English, it says, “The batsman came out of the crease so much that Dhoni first had tea, then read the newspaper, and then went and stumped him out”.
When it comes to comparing the players with other hilarious situations, Navjot Singh Sidhu has already been popular. But he also compared the South African cricket team’s situation in the knockout matches, which also came out to be a funny remark for the fans. Sidhu said, “Cooker aur South Africa, pressure me dono ki seeti baj jaati hai”. When translated to English, it reads, “Cooker and South Africa, both whistle under pressure”. This was taken as criticism by a few fans, while most of them agreed to the same, as the South African cricket team has not been able to perform well in the knockout games of the ICC events or even in pressure situations.
Cricket pitches have always been unpredictable for both teams, and they are known for their unusual behavior across some deliveries, which could shock either the batsman or bowler. But pitches cannot be as unpredictable as Siddhu’s commentary, as he compared the cricket pitch with wives, saying, “Ek pitch ek patni ki tarah hoti hai. Aap kabhi nahi jaante ki iska kya parinaam hoga”. If this is translated to English, it says, “A pitch is like a wife. You never know what the outcome will be”. This event turned out to be a meme across the social media platforms, as fans reacted hilariously to the same.
In a cricket match, stats are displayed more often regarding the players, which lets the fans and analysts know about their performances under certain situations and pitches. But sometimes, these stats regarding the players can also be poor, and they can also not escape from being noticed by commentators or analysts.
Navjot Singh Sidhu also talked about this by saying, “Aankre Mini Skirt ki tarah hote hai, usse jitna dhak jae kuch chupta nahi”. When translated into English, it says, “Figures are like miniskirts; no matter how much they cover, nothing remains hidden”.
Batsmen have been known for smashing sixes in the shortest format of the game, which is the T20 format, and commentators have shown their excitement about these massive sixes. But for Navjot Singh Sidhu, it is normal to take even the commentary on a six to a new level. When the batsman smashed the ball for a massive six, Sidhu said, “Gend Taramandal me, pura Brahman karke, Air Hostess ko Hi bolke aayi hai”. When translated into English, it says, “The ball has come to the planetarium after speaking to the air hostess”. What could possibly be the funniest way in which any commentator could describe a sixer in a cricket match?
Sidhu has defined the match situation various times using some of the best one-liner shayaris. During the T20 World Cup, the Pakistan cricket team made some terrible mistakes in a game, and responding to the same, Navjot Singh Sidhu said, “Sir mundwate hi ole padh gaye”. When translated into English, it says, “As soon as I shaved my head, it started raining”. In the match, Pakistan’s cricket team removed a fielder to make some changes according to the batsman’s playing style, but he played the next ball exactly at the place where the fielder was earlier.
The number of leg spinners for every team in modern-day cricket has increased to a great extent, as there were a few leg spinners there for each team in the previous era. Talking about the leg spinners from the commentary panel, Navjot Singh Sidhu said, “Jis patthar jo uthao neeche se leg spinner mil raha hai”. When translated into English, it says, “Whichever stone you pick up, you will find a leg spinner from below”. The commentary panel also reacted to the same, agreeing with Sidhu’s comment on the leg spinners in modern cricket.
A few pitches in cricket can be more helpful to the spinners, turning the ball more than usual, which surprises both the batsman and wicketkeeper. A few months back, Sidhu was a part of the commentary panel, as the ball spinned a lot more than usual, confusing the batsman. To this, he said, “Kya gend ghumi hai, kaanta change kar gayi… dhundho-dhundho re sajna”.
When translated into English, it says, “Has the ball turned, has it changed the direction… search for it, my love”. There have been various spin deliveries that tackled the batsman, but describing it in such a way is one thing only Sidhu can do.
The run rate is more important in cricket matches when your team is chasing a target, which also creates immense pressure if more dot balls are played or if fewer runs are scored than required in every over. During an intense match where the run rate was increasing at a rapid pace, Sidhu said, “Taxi ke meter ki tarah Run meter ghum raha hai.. tiktikatik tiktikatik”. When translated to English, it says, “The run meter is moving like a taxi meter… tickikatik tickikatik”.
In a cricket match, getting advice also plays a crucial role for both the batting team and the bowling team. They are able to discuss the strategies to tackle the opposition and come out on top. But sometimes, this advice is not as useful as it was thought to be, and the results come out just the opposite. The same situation happened in a match, and talking about the same, Navjot Singh Sidhu said, “Salah mushroom ki tarah hoti hai, galat Salah ghatak ho sakti hai”. If it is translated to English, it reads, “Advice is like mushrooms, the wrong advice can be fatal”.
Between every over, during the commercial break, spectators usually turn off their televisions or apps where they are watching the game, which also leads to some of the crucial moments of the next over being missed. But missing out on the iconic commentary of Navjot Singh Sidhu might also be one of the few things fans do not want to do during a cricket game. After the cover was finished in a game, Sidhu said, “Over samapt guftgu jaari rahegi, hilna mat”. This translates to, “Over is finished, conversation will continue, don’t move”. Various enthusiasts also marked it as one of the funniest ways to end the over, in Sidhu style.
Every batsman has their own role for the team, but there is always one player on whom the team gets highly dependent when it comes to scoring runs in the pressure innings. Telling about the importance of the same during an innings, Navjot Singh Sidhu said, “Woh cycle stand me cycle ki tarah hai, agar ek gir jae toh puri katar neeche gir jaegi”. If translated to English, it says, “They are like bicycles in a bicycle stand, if one falls, the entire row will fall down”.
The pressure situations define what a real player is capable of doing for his team and country in a cricket match, as various commentators genuinely go out of words for such innings. But Navjot Singh Sidhu has been known for defining such things perfectly, as he said, “Tara toot bhi jae toh bhi zameen par nahi girta, girte hai hazaron dariya samundar me… lekin kabhi koi samundar dariya me nahi girta”. When translated to English, it says, “Even if a star breaks, it does not fall on the ground; thousands of rivers fall into the ocean… but no ocean ever falls into the river”. Thus, he said that the pressure situations help to define a player and make his name in cricket history.
Navjot Singh Sidhu will surely go down in history not only for his contribution to the Indian cricket team but also for the hilarious moments he gave to the fans and players with his iconic commentary lines. Whether it’s defining the match situation or a delivery, he is able to use the words and metaphors wisely to ensure that the fans get their interest in the game.