"NERVOUS," was how Pragyan Ojha put it. Manvinder Bisla had used that same word. The likes of Sarandeep Singh and Sourabh Kumar weren't too sure if they belonged when they were given gigs. These days, they are all key voices in the host broadcaster's attempt to make the Indian Premier League (IPL) more inclusive by adding commentary feeds in multiple regional languages including Bhojpuri, Kannada and Punjabi.
These commentators -- known as 'talent' -- have either played for the national team in a previous cricket innings or are well known as coaches. But while it gets them through the door, they are also subject to tests before JioStar, who have shelled out a pretty penny to broadcast the IPL, give them gigs.
Siddharth Sharma, the content lead (sports), narrates a story. "We just don't want to gloss over a glorious shot (although) that's one of doing it (commentary)," he tells this daily. But if we can engage at a deeper level and make this hero meaningful for you... take the example of (Vaibhav) Suryavanshi. One of his coaches is part of my Bhojpuri commentary. He comes from Samastipur. So, all of this, We have got stories that we should fulfil the fans regardless of where he joins us from. That's something we have worked on, to create that ecosystem and environment that tells the richest story. Some of them are consummate storytellers, some of them we work with."
To first see if they are natural storytellers, there's a video clip sent to them. Kumar, for example, was sent a video of the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings, the game where RP Singh no-balled giving CSK the win.
Here's Kumar. "What do we say when the batter is not still? What do English or Hindi commentators say? We say this because we are professional coaches and we understand the game. But we say it like there are 2-3 people sitting at home and discussing the game... it's infotainment."
That infotainment is tangible because they have worked with their respective producers to come up with pop culture references and cultural nuances important to that region. "We don't want it to be another Hindi commentary," Sharma says. "The producers come from those regions, they can read and write (for example, a Kannada feed producer is literate in Kannada and so on). They have a background in pop culture."
There is also a booklet listing catchphrases in all 12 language feeds to better prepare talents. How is this prepared? "They are all penned by language experts and people who are native to that region," Sharma says. "People who have their ear to the ground in that region. Which is why they are able to craft a narrative, a narrative we believe amplifies the sentiment of the people of that region."
Here's Bisla, a former IPL winner, on why that local connection is important. "The dossier really helped in what words to use," he says. "Often, it can feel strange for non-Haryanvis listening in as the tone may feel rude but for us Haryanvis, that is our attitude. It is not like we are rude in any way but when we are going on national TV, it helps to understand what words to use and how to use the language."
When he was first given the dossier, Bisla practiced his commentary while looking at the mirror. Sarandeep Singh's main concern was nailing all the sponsor names so he wrote them on a piece of paper and stuck it next to him.
Most of them, at least when they began, used to think in Hindi before speaking in English. "A lot of times," says Aakash Chopra, an industry veteran compared to some of the above-mentioned names. "That is what I was telling Anil (Kumble) a few days ago. We all tend to think in a language, mostly in our language, and then translate that into English. He thinks in Kannada, I may dream in Hindi..."
The former India opener concedes that his initial days in English commentary 'was tough'. "You realise you have to be extremely fluent, analysing the game and talking about it is very different from live broadcasting. You have to have a whole range of vocabulary to begin with and you have to articulate yourself in a precise manner without repeating yourself."
Here's Ojha, somebody who has played 48 games for India across formats. "We have to accept it (auditioning for commentary)," he says. "We have to look at the broader picture. In one department, you can be the best but you are new when you want to go to other aspects. If today I want to get into something which is totally different from what I have done all my life, I should not be thinking that 'I will go and be CEO of a company just because I have played Tests for India."
All of them prepare extensively as they regard this as a 'full-time job'. "It's just like any other job where you clock in eight hours of honest work," a few of them say. But sometimes, there is a disconnect of sorts between their work and the comments they receive on social media. Most of them are aware of it.
Some of them are 'hurt' by the kind of feedback they get but they have worked on themselves to keep getting better at what they do.