"Dream Job keeps me connected to Cricket" Mandira Bedi

Cricket and Bollywood are two prime passions for most Indians. Mandira Bedi is one lucky girl, who got to live both. For six years, this actress anchored Sony's pre-match cricket show, Extraaa Innings. While she infuriated the connoisseurs, she succeeded in attracting the female audience to cricket. Now, Mandira will continue her tryst with cricket as a judge on ESPN-Star's reality show Dream Job, a talent hunt for Sports presenters. Mandira speaks on her Dream Job, Cricket and more in an exclusive chat with Mayur Lookhar. You're one of the jury members of ESPN-Star's Dream Job. How has the experience been? We've just auditioned for three weeks. We've covered Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. In the coming days, we'll be going to Kolkata. So far, it's been a great experience. What has really caught my eyes is that in these three weeks, we've had at least ten women contestants in each city. Do you take the credit for inspiring these women to be part of cricket? I deserve no credit. It's their love and passion for the game that has brought them here. I was pretty impressed by one housewife, who came dressed as one. We didn't expect much from her but to our surprise she impressed all. What is it that you are looking in a contestant? Spontaneity and confidence. You get just 30 seconds to prove yourself. Thus, it's in those thirty seconds that you can either get nervous and throw your chances or make the most of it. Within this period, you should be able to think on your feet. Any particular contestant that caught your eye? There was one 23-year-old guy from Mumbai. Tough to recollect his name. He's progressed to the next round. He did a real good job. He also entertained by imitating Ravi Shastri and Harsha Bhogale. I expect him to go all the way. There was also a 61-year-old preacher who did well. For over five years, you were associated with Sony. Were you surprised when ESPN approached you? My contract with Sony was till the World Cup. And, with the channel not showing any cricket in the near future, I thought my association with cricket was over. To my surprise, ESPN buzzed me and briefed about the offer. In the given circumstances, this was the only thing that would have connected me with the game In the past, certain ESPN-Star guys were critical of your work on Extraaa Innings. Now you're working with these men. Your say on that. I'm fine with it. You can't please everyone. However, I'm glad that I've been able to change their mind. If earlier they criticised me, they praise my work now. You must have met the commentary team of ESPN-Star. What's your take on them? Actually, I haven't but I'm quite impressed with their set-up. The likes of Gavaskar, Shastri, Wilkins are all pioneers in cricket commentary. Ian Chappell has filled the void left by Geoffrey Boycott. What about Wasim Akram? I'm looking forward to meeting him . He'll join us (Dream Job ) from October. Who should be the Indian coach? Presently, we are doing well without one. However, if a coach is to be selected, then it has to be a foreigner. (Although the Graham Ford episode is fresh in our minds) I felt that Dav Whatmore would have been a good choice but he failed to make the cut. The veteran Indian cricketers will soon kiss the game goodbye. Do you think that we have the bench strength to replace these guys? That's our main concern now. No doubt, these men will be hard to replace. I guess, the Twenty20 World Cup will really show us how good our younger players are. What's your take on women's cricket in India? The merger with BCCI has indeed yielded financial benefits but women's cricket is still not popular with the masses. Sadly, cricket is still a male-dominated sport. On my part, I always make it a point to visit one of their matches. You have been replaced by Mona Singh on Extraa shots. Does that upset you? Extraa Shots went off air two years ago and I only did it for eight months. I don't think I've been replaced by Mona. I've worked with them for over five years and as such share a great relationship with them. It was wonderful experience for me. There was no break-up of ties; we parted ways in an amicable manner. Did your decision to join Dream Job result in this partition? The moment I received an offer from ESPN, I called Sony and briefed them about it. They were pretty cool with it. My contract with them was over and since they didn't have any cricket to show, I was given the leeway to do Dream Job. Finally, is your association with ESPN-Star limited to Dream Job itself? Yes. What's next for you then? Well, I hope I continue my association with ESPN-Star post Dream Job as I want to stick to cricket.