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“Cricket was career changing for me,” Mandira Bedi said recently. After making a name in the television industry with shows like Shanti, Aurat and more, Mandira Bedi admitted she soon felt bored working in television and wanted to do something different. That’s exactly when she got the chance to host the cricket World Cup 2003, and she grabbed the opportunity. In a recent interaction, she admitted that her first week of hosting the World Cup was a disaster, but she quickly turned things around, becoming everyone’s favourite and making cricket commentary fun.
Speaking to Sanjeev Datta Personality School’s YouTube channel, Mandira shared that the channel knew about her interest in cricket, so when they were looking for a host for the 2003 World Cup, they called her. After being approached, the channel also revealed that they were auditioning 1000 other women for the same role. “My first reaction was yes when they asked me to host the World Cup, but a lot came after that. They were screen-testing 1000 other women.” Mandira revealed that after going through three screen tests, she was selected to be a part of the panel.
She spoke about her experience of hosting the World Cup for the first time and how it turned out to be extremely challenging. Sitting alongside panellists who were legendary ex-cricketers, she recalled, “No matter how much you prepare for that moment but you are not prepared for that moment.”
She went on to share, “The beginning was disastrous. I had a lot of baggage in my head, thinking this is cricket, it is the highest rated content on Indian television. And words once spoken on live TV cannot be taken back. I had a lot of nervous energy and I messed up a few times. After every show, I would put my head down and would cry.”
Mandira admitted that the channel stepped in to give her confidence after her disastrous debut as World Cup host. “Eventually, they had a little intervention, and they told me that you have what it takes, but there is something that is holding you back, just go and have fun. They told me you are not a commentator or an analyst, so just go and ask whatever you want, nothing is off the table,” she revealed.
After wiping tears from her eyes, Mandira went back live on television. She recalled, “Post that intervention with tears streaking on my face, I went on air and I smiled through it all. That was half the job done. I smiled and asked cheeky questions. I made people laugh and everything changed after that.”
She added, “The first week was a disaster, but it was a long tournament, so I took time to change people’s minds. All the talk that was coming about ‘how dumb she is, not one word that she speaks is sensible’, it changed to ‘what a delight it is to have her on the panel, she makes the panel more fun.’ A lot of people’s minds got changed during that period of a few weeks.”
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