Barely one week has passed since the football’s biggest party set off in Qatar, we have already seen a few heart-pounding clashes. The fans have already experienced so much excitement about the tournament that they have remained glued to their TV screen for the full week. 

From Saudi Arabia’s triumph over Argentina to Ronaldo’s fifth World Cup goal, this week has already offered extreme adrenaline rush to the fans and now it is hard to imagine what more has to come in the next few weeks, and to provide even more joy, The statement had a light korero with one of the FIFA World Cup’s official hosts, Saarthak.

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What does it take to host such a big multinational sporting event watched by billions of people around the globe?

Blessed to have a year that allowed me to host a Grand Slam & now the FIFA World Cup.

Every sport has finer aspects. Each one of them has a world of its own to be explored. The beauty is that each sport discipline has a unique history of its own. It is fundamental to study the athletes that play the sport. Being a sports lover, the excitement within me for each sport runs deep because I can identify with them as a competitive sports player myself. When you are on air, you have the responsibility to educate alongside entertaining your audiences, so it’s important to maximise your research on the sport you are presenting.

How does it feel to share the studio with legends like Wayne Rooney and Robert Pires

Wayne Rooney and Robert Pires are on the English shows while I am covering the Hindi shows, but it was an absolute pleasure to meet them during the breaks. I have had a few conversations with Wayne Rooney. He is as humble as they come. It’s difficult to say that this is the same person who displays a maddening intensity to score goals against all his opponents.

With legends like Rooney and Figo walking beside you in the same studio, the energy all around just goes to the next level. Arsenal legends Sol Campbell and Robert Pires were really fun to chat with too. These are giants of the sport. Their popularity runs across fans of multiple countries and all sports lovers. This is indeed an experience that I cherish fully and hold close to my heart.

Coming to your warm-up session, how did you prepare yourself for the most iconic tournament?

The preps are the most crucial part of a LIVE show. Since I am covering a football show in Hindi, I tried to study the sport and language in as much detail as possible. In my view, for a LIVE show as grand as a World Cup, one always needs to be over-prepared, just in case there are technical failures, you are well armed with your own research/questions/stats.

Which pool do you see as the toughest one and who could be the darkhorse?

In my view, an African/Asian team could be a surprise package in this World Cup and may make a really deep run into the tournament, and if we look at how the teams have been pooled, Group G looks the toughest especially after the defeat of Germany against Japan.

How was your transition from Tennis to Football?

The transition from Tennis to Football wasn’t easy. Every sport is a world of its own. But the unifying factor among them is the strong connection and emotion a sports lover feels for every sport. That makes the process easier.