And Now Archana

Meet Archana Vijaya,the new cricket glam girl on the telly Archana Vijaya is to IPL Season 4,what Mandira Bedi was to World Cup 2003. The noodle straps have been replaced with tube dresses,but the TV host knows exactly when to pout in front of the camera and when to deliver cricket jargon with the precision […]

Meet Archana Vijaya,the new cricket glam girl on the telly

Archana Vijaya is to IPL Season 4,what Mandira Bedi was to World Cup 2003. The noodle straps have been replaced with tube dresses,but the TV host knows exactly when to pout in front of the camera and when to deliver cricket jargon with the precision of a yorker. My experience as a model has come handy. I know how to look convincing in front of the camera, says Vijaya,as she waits anxiously to go on-air to host the Kolkata Night Riders vs Chennai Super Kings encounter at Eden Gardens on Saturday. As one of five TV hosts of IPL 4’s Extra Innings on Set Max,Vijaya’s journey from the runway to the cricket field,is described in her own words as nothing but surreal. From looking glamourous in bright fashionable dresses to equally professional in a pair of denims,the 28-year-old has infused a sense of chutzpah into the IPL match analysis on television. I have been hosting TV cricket shows for international one-day matches and test matches for over four years,as this is familiar territory, says the former face for Neo Cricket,who quit from the channel last year,to become a f-r-e-e-l-a-n-c-e-r and be more in control of the kind of assignments she wants to take up.

Then came the offer to host the IPL matches. While this required the Kolkata-born to present a combination of glamour and cricketing knowledge,she took it as a challenge. This is the first time I am hosting shows for the domestic league matches,but the years of hosting ODIs provided good grounding. Moreover,now I do a lot more work in a short time,since in a span of three hours I am on-air for half the show. In my previous job,that was not the case, explains Vijaya,who was a VJ for Channel V in 2005-07. In her current role,she can be stationed in the studio or at the cricket field,depending on the decision taken by the production team. She does have preferences though. I love being in the studio, she gushes,adding,There is an air-conditioner and its a more controlled environment. On the ground,it can become very hot and dusty since these are the summer months. I don’t like that. Every match,meanwhile,is preceded by in-depth research,with her producer and former cricketers,who are her co-hosts.

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However,Vijaya confesses that cricket was never her ambition. After graduating in 2000,she received a few modelling assignments and jumped straight into them. Winning the reality beauty contest,Get Gorgeous-Season 1,was an added bonus. Besides walking the ramp at Rome Fashion Week,she has also walked the runways for top designers from the fashion world including Tarun Tahiliani,Sabyasachi,Rohit Bal,Manish Malhotra,Narendra Kumar,and has several ad campaigns to her credit. This is pretty much the story of my life — unplanned and surreal. I am enjoying my stint as a cricket show host,as I get to meet legends of cricket. The response has been encouraging, she adds.

Being among the few women who have become popular as hosts of cricket shows does not concern her. It all comes down to how serious you are. In 2007,I was asked to be the glam face for Neo Cricket and since then I have been hooked to the game. Being in the company of cricketers,I have managed to learn cricket jargon on-the-job, says Vijaya,a sports enthusiast who says that it is difficult not to be a follower of cricket,given that her dad watches the game at home all day. The plans post IPL 4? A holiday with friends is lined-up.

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