Star Cricket goes in for Hindi presentation for India-England series

Star-studded expert panel comprises Kapil Dev, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Ramiz Raja, Arun Lal, Saurav Ganguly and Ayaz Memon

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | November 15, 2012

ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has announced that Star Cricket will unveil a brand new presentation of the upcoming India-England cricket series in Hindi. To build up this unique offering, the sports broadcaster has lined-up experts who will do commentary as well as studio analysis on every match day.

The list of experts includes Indian bowling legend and 1983 World Cup winning captain, Kapil Dev, former Pakistan opener and captain, Ramiz Raja, the flamboyant and colourful Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Indian captain Saurav Ganguly, former Test cricketer Arun Lal and noted cricket journalist Ayaz Memon amongst others.

Star Cricket's presentation/production will be based on the theme 'Jo baat hindi mein hai, kissi aur mein nahi.... Dekhiye India vs England 15 Nov se Hindi mein sirf Star Cricket par'.

Sanjay Gupta, Star India COO, commented, “This is the need of the hour. Eighty five per cent of core cricket viewers prefer to watch Hindi content on TV. By providing world class Hindi presentation and commentary, we believe, will significantly increase the involvement with the game and have a positive impact on viewership.”

Aloke Malik, Managing Director, ESPN Software India, said, “We already have lined up an impressive array of cricket experts who we feel will provide a sharp, incisive and engaging view of the game. Viewers who are keen to watch the action with English commentary can catch the action on Star Sports or Star Cricket HD.”

The upcoming India-England series will be broadcast by ESS beginning today. The series involves four Test matches, two T20 matches and five ODIs.

Kapil Dev said, “I have been thinking for better part of the past two decades why Hindi commentary is not pushed on live cricket. Cricket is followed not just in metros but across the country, in villages, in towns. Look at the current Indian team – Dhoni, Zaheer, Harbhajan, all of them come from small towns/cities. I am glad that Star Cricket has taken this initiative in launching a quality product in Hindi language.”

Sidhu added, “Dil hai Hindustani. Hindi bolo, Hindi suno. It feels so much better when you say it in Hindi. Even for the cricket lover, it will make so much of a difference. I mean what fun is there in saying 'great shot' when a batsmen has played a good shot. Instead, 'dhuadhar ballebaji' is so much more fun, so much more apt. We will take the experience of the viewer to another level on Star Cricket. I am looking forward to my stint.”

Arun Lal said, “This is the way to go. This is need of the hour. If people want to watch and consume cricket in Hindi, one should offer quality product not a feeble attempt as has been the practice in the past. I am glad ESPN Star Sports has taken up the challenge head on and is working towards making a product in Hindi language which will match up to English in all aspects of production.”

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