In the pre-televison era, the cricket-crazy nation of India was hooked on to radio to catch live cricketing action. Suresh Saraiya was an iconic commentator whose voice took the action to millions of people in India. A household name in the cricket-crazy country, Saraiya delighted the listeners of radio cricket commentary for well over four decades during which he broadcast over 100 Tests and 150 One-Day Internationals, including four World Cups, not forgetting a number of first-class games.

He was one of the most natural and original of commentators. With his impressively articulate baritone, smooth delivery and distinct style, Saraiya commanded a large fan following across the country. Often he ran into strangers who identified him from his voice.
Saraiya’s commentary was very studied and meticulous. He never entered the commentary box without doing his homework. He used to maintain a register which had an assortment of facts and figures, something he used brilliantly while commentating

Saraiya made his debut in 1969 at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai covering the game for All India Radio. His 100th Test came at Nagpur in 2010 when India played New Zealand.

There isn’t a cricket playing nation where Suresh hasn’t covered the game. With the players, too, he shared a very close friendship. The players always welcomed him whenever he approached them for an interview or an informal chat. He spent a lot of time in his early days with Vijay Merchant and (statistician) Anandji Dossa and they both instilled great values in him. That is how he inculcated in himself a studied approach, which ensured he never erred while talking about records during his commentary stints.

Outside the commentary box, he held the post of the Chief Public Relations Officer for the Central Bank of India. His association with cricket wasn’t just limited to the microphone as he played the sport for Wilson College. He commentated with illustrious men such as Vijay Merchant, Dicky Rutnagar and Devraj Puri – who was his idol.

When television arrived, broadcasters turned to him to hone his skills on screen. But the glamour of the television didn’t attract him and he continued his career with radio. He believed the real art of commentary remained with the radio as the listeners did not have an idea as to what was going on and it was a challenge for the commentators to create that picture with words.

(As recalled by noted Statistician Sudhir Vaidya)