I want to be a cricket commentator
Pervin Malhotra
email your queries to careers@tribunemail.com
I want to be a cricket commentator
Q.I am an avid cricket buff and I don’t miss a single cricket match on TV. My ultimate dream is to become a cricket commentator. How do I go about it? However, I don’t actually play cricket. Will this hamper my career prospects? — Harmeet Bakshi
A.While some of the biggest names in cricket like V V S Lakshman, Anil Kumble, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Navjot Siddhu, Tony Greig and Ian Chappell took to cricket commentary as a second career, a few like Harsha Bhogle, an IIM-A graduate, have never played the game at a professional level.
However, as opportunities for cricket commentator are not easily available to freshers, you may have to initially work in a broader field, even within sports. With some perseverance and the right breaks you should be able to get your foot in the door. With the advent of satellite television cricket commentary today has become a completely different ball game as compared to its previous avatar.
As a cricket commentator you must be able to think on your feet and improvise between shots as 15-16 powerful cameras track each movement of the ball and the cricketers on the field. And since the commentary is broadcast live there’s absolutely no room for error.
The Commentator must have a thorough knowledge of the game, peppering the conversation with interesting statistics and entertaining the audience with anecdotes and dashes of tongue-in-cheek humour during a dull match. Navjot Sidhu shot to fame with his now oft-quoted ‘Siddhuisms’ and I cannot help but quote, “This Indian team is like bicycles in a cycle stand… one falls and the entire row falls!” But while it’s great to learn from the ‘masters’, it’s very important to develop your own distinctive style. Don’t blindly ape or “clone” anyone.
Make sure you keep up with the latest developments in the game and also brush up your cricketing history to be able to converse easily and knowledgeably on various aspects of the game. Versatility is the name of the game.
Practice speaking aloud pacing and modulating your delivery into a tape recorder (remember to get your pronunciation right). An excellent command over the spoken language is essential. Ask friends to critique your delivery.
Most of your learning will however, happen on-the-job. But if you’re somewhat shaky, go for a stint of training to improve your voice culture, diction, modulation and intonation, although it’s not mandatory. Keenly listen to the top commentators to observe how they whip up fever pitch excitement and keep audiences glued to the TV/Radio, and vary their cadence to match the mood on the pitch.
Rather than looking for a break in TV, look for openings in radio, particularly in the private FM channels. You can start by writing 1-2-minute scripts for radio programmes and use that as a launch pad for furthering your career.
A word of caution: Don’t let the glamour and lure of big money bedazzle you. Cricket commentary is not everybody’s cup of tea and only the very best in this field make it to the top of the ladder.
Only if you’re truly and absolutely passionate about the sport and have the gift of the gab should you venture into this field. Else, an alternate career could be sports journalism or hosting sports contests or even sports management.
Should I go in for master’s degree?
Q. I am a final-year student of chemical engineering. I’m now at the crossroads of deciding the next move in my career. I don’t want to limit my career options with technical jobs only and want to pursue a dynamic career which gives me an opportunity to work in challenging business situations. Is going for master’s the only option I have or are there any specialisations that I can do which can help me to achieve my career objectives. — Piyush Handa
A. Going for a master’s will definitely add a new dimension to your overall skill set and personality. However, this may not always assure you great placements nor qualify you to take up relevant / interesting business roles at the start of your career, as you come with very limited business knowledge through these courses. It also adds at least two more years of education time for you, thus pushing your career start date further out.
The changing trend in the industry is to go for people with specialised knowledge or as they say ‘the right person for the right job’.
One of the fields that’s seeing a significant demand across industry and large consulting organisations is Risk Management. With companies looking to grow at a fast pace, it is an opportune moment for risk management professionals, who are likely to have dynamic career opportunities to work, often on a global platform.
Make sure you look for programmes that cover all the critical business aspects of Risk Management while preferably using a case study methodology to equip you with practical business knowledge.
In India, we have institutes like the ICFP, Institute of Insurance & Risk Management (IIRM) and BIMTECH, which offer risk management courses mainly in the Insurance sector.
There are also some distance learning programmes offered by institutes such as the Institute of Risk Management (IRM) in UK.
Among others, do also check out the Global Risk Management Institute (GRMI), an upcoming institute that offers a one-year full-time post graduate diploma in Risk Management.
While you’re at it, you can also glean additional inputs from the website of the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), US (www.garp.org) which offers the Financial Risk Management certification or the Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA), Alexandria (the largest risk management association dedicated solely to the practice of risk management in the public sector).
