Q-  How things unfolded for you? From playing Tennis to hosting it on Sony Sports? Share your journey with us.

As a child, I was naturally inclined towards playing outdoors all day. The thought of running towards the playground always got me excited. That innocent love for sports eventually channelized into me performing at national level Tennis tournaments as a teenager.

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The dream was to play Tennis for India. It didn’t happen. Funnily dreams work in mysterious ways and many years later in 2022, I became India’s official TV Host for a Tennis Grand Slam’s LIVE coverage.

Communication fascinated me and I wanted to enter the media industry. My journey in the world of media began with the Times Television Network in the summer of 2014 as an Intern with the programming department at Times Now, working on the historic General Election Campaign of 2014 in India.

I tried being a sponge, absorbing every bit of knowledge I was observing through my journey there. Then I moved to the Zee Group and worked with their Marketing team. I wanted to somehow marry my ability to speak with an undying passion for sport. The journey has been a roller-coaster ride from commentating for a local cricket match at Azad Maidan to covering the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England.

Q- Tell us about your first break and what followed after it?

My first break came with the TV channel Discovery Sport (now Eurosport) when I was sent in to host an international Triathlon in Kolhapur, Maharashtra for a day. Interestingly, this led to my first break as a Commentator on TV during Prime Time with the Pro Wrestling League.

As I kept commentating for multiple sports, the biggest turning point came when I was selected by a startup to cover the entire Cricket World Cup in England. This was followed by my first in-studio show “NBA Weekly” on the Sony Sports Network.

Q- Tell us something about your famous Television lines on Rafael Nadal during this year’s French Open – “Is this a machine? Is this a human? Is this a demigod?”

When you grow up hugely admiring a legend like Rafael Nadal, those words just come out very naturally in the moment. I would try to imitate him on the Tennis court. I would use the same Tennis racket as him. So watching Rafa win his 14th French Open title, felt like a part of me has won that title too and I expressed my heartfelt emotions in that moment on-screen.

Q- Recently you interviewed Rashid Khan, so I  would like to know, how do you prepare yourself for an interaction with such a big sports personality?

For someone like Rashid Khan, it is important to know him as a person before you interview him, may be try to chat up with him before the actual interview.

I studied him online as much as I could. I tried to break down what kind of questions he has already been asked and what new elements can I add that would bring out the best in him.

He is the hero of the interview and people are going to watch him because he’s Rashid Khan. So I needed to understand his pulse, his personality and play with it. It’s the connection between the two of us that will eventually connect the audience to us.

Q-  You are a multi-sport presenter, we have seen you presenting so many sports, tennis, basketball, cricket and the list goes on, what does it take to cover such a variety of sports? 

Every sport has finer details with new worlds to be explored within each of them. There is so much to understand about each sport historically.

It is fundamental to study the athletes that play the sport. By and large, the excitement within me for each sport is the same because I can identify with them as a competitive sports player myself.

When you are on-air, you have the responsibility to educate alongside entertain your audiences, so it’s important to maximize your research on the sport you are presenting.

Q- What’s your favourite sport and favourite sporting moment?

If you ask me about the sport I enjoy the most, it has to be Tennis. However, the sporting moments of a lifetime for me were at Old Trafford in Manchester during the 2019 Cricket World Cup witnessing the dream India-Pakistan match.

That was an emotion like nothing else. Then to watch Mahendra Singh Dhoni, walk out of his last ever World Cup match in the same stadium during India’s Semifinal match against New Zealand, that is a moment that gives me goosebumps even now.

Q- The US Open is around the corner, with Novak’s participation and Nadal’s participation still in question, who do you think will come out on top in the end?

Chances of Novak Djokovic’s participation are really low, but if he does play, he is my favourite to win the US Open.

If Nole doesn’t play, I pick Daniil Medvedev as the top favourite and the other name might surprise you, I would say the 21 year old Jannik Sinner is an equal contender to go lift that trophy.

Q- Who do you think will take over Daniel Medvedev’s Ranking? 

Nadal and Alcaraz will give Medvedev the toughest fight in the near future for the No.1 spot. Alcaraz has climbed up the rankings with some incredible speed.

For Nadal, it’s about staying healthy, if he manages that, he will be at the top. With Djokovic, it’s unfortunate that Wimbledon didn’t award ranking points this year. Lastly, watch out for Felix Auger Aliassime, I see him jump up the rankings soon.