I was first confused at Eric's post but now that Marshall has clarified I can say something about Suresh Saraiya. Very few people knew that Suresh was weak in spoken and written English and it's a surprise that he went on to become a famous commentator. To begin with, Suresh worked for the Central Bank of India. During lunch breaks and in the evenings, he used to go to the Oval Maidan near Churchgate and watch cricket matches and would try to give commentary on the matches. After years of practice, he felt he was ready for the job. He idol was John Arlott, the legendary British commentator.
He was a master in getting around people and would court those in influential positions. After all, he was a PR person at the bank. He used his PR skills to request higher-ups in AIR to give him a break -- and he went on to be a regular in the commentator's box. HeBecause of his limited commentary, his commentary was like a written script. Unlike Anant Setalvad, who I think was a lawyer, Suresh couldn't go on a lengthy discussion on the finer points of cricket. He played cricket for his college. I knew him well, and we would go for some vadas at a nearby Udupi restaurant near by office. In the Press Box we used to joke about him and his English, particularly his Gujarati accent. He would laugh and take it in his stride.He was a good-hearted man. Sad to know he passed away in July at the age of 76. The best of the commentators who told lot of inside stories about cricketers was Dicky Rutnagar, who settled down in England. Eugene
