|
|
the-south-asian.com March 2003 |
||||
|
MARCH
2003 Murphy's
Law &
Films Serialisation
of 'Knock at every alien Events
Lehngas - a limited collection Books
|
|
||||
|
Page 2 of 2 The Voice of Cricket By Avinash Kalla (cntd.) Navjot Singh Sidhu - " a bouncer on a dead track"
The cricketer-turned-commentator follows a simple theory…. " Mine is a voice from the heart. I simply say what I see. It’s my forthright opinions which come through." For those gems which come with perfect timing he has this to say." Most of them are simple proverbs, some direct translations of Hindi and Punjabi idioms and many a time I pick up a phrase or comment used by anyone---even a paanwala!" For India’s turbaned former opener the new career came as a surprise ---or, as he puts it---a bouncer on a dead track. After hanging his boots in 1999 he did a show for MTV for World Cup. Then Harsha Bhogle, whom he refers to as his Guru, asked him to try his hand at commentary. He did a series in Sri Lanka and there’s been no looking back. (If you haven’t had enough of him you can further indulge in Sidhuism at www.sidhuisms.com a website dedicated to the hilarious comments of the former Indian opener. Comments that were discussed as much as the performance of the Indian cricket team!) For this World Cup he is doing a special series of Super Selectors along with Harsha Bhogle and cinestar Nasiruddin Shah in which viewers can win a cash prize of Rs. 20 lakhs Thus, it is not only cricketers, but even Bollywood stars like Naseeruddin Shah who are turning into cricket commentators, who have taken up the new role of sports presenter to take a breather from acting. Says Naseer, " When I was a child I wanted to be either a cricketer or a film star. I failed to become a cricketer so I chose the easier option! Nothing can arouse the kind of passions in India that cricket does. After every match, we have 100 million opinions." Well its not only cricket that is turning big. Last year Indian soccer captain Biachung Bhutia too made his foray into the commentators’ box in the Soccer World Cup for Ten Sports. " It was a fantastic experience to share your views and thoughts with the whole nation," says Baichung about his new role and admits it was not less challenging them being on the field itself. " You are required to be one step ahead always, and that’s not an easy task. But it was my love for the game which helped me a lot in the new role." Indians are among the best followers of sports, says
Australia-born senior presenter After World Cup his show will be packed with more Indian features both on national and international series. Information and originality are the key, according to Jason who was the captain of the second line of Sydney cricketers that produced the world class cricketer Allan Border. Says Dasey, " It’s good if you yourself have played the game even at amateur level because then you know the nuances and understand all the aspects of that particular game. After that you just have to be your natural self or at worst pretend to be someone else! Any which way you can’t miss the excitement." Indeed, the viewers can miss the excitement that these commentators whip up. No matter which part of the world they are in, no matter at what wee hours the match is beginning, these talking heads ensure the viewers are up and about to be a part of the game.
*****
|
|||||
| Copyright © 2000 - 2003 [the-south-asian.com]. Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. | |||||
| Home | |||||
