Sachin Tendulkar, the master-blaster and my dear friend, has famously said, “Chase your dreams, they do come true!”
So I threw my MBA and life as a media executive and chased the entire cricket team for years. Literally! Now I have the most spectacular journey to look back on with experiences I could have never imagined were possible. I have always been very passionate about cricket and have played the sport as well, but I found my calling when I started mimicking my cricketer friends. Bringing laughter to people, while talking about the subject that truly matters to me, gave me immense joy.
Soon after, I was doing stand-ups and other shows across the world including leading corporate, cricket and Bollywood events, television projects, penning a book and my very own cricket talk show on the leading OTT app Viu called ‘What the Duck’. I would call myself a cricket humourist who got lucky. Poking fun at the players, their methods, stories involving them or even their stance, is very easy from afar. The fact that these people who I would give a shout out to in my shows have an amazing sense of humour and it is their ability to laugh it off that has allowed me to really excel in this niche that I have created for myself. Them loving and appreciating my jokes is why I can do what I have been doing in my entire career. This path that I was leading, the journeys and tours I have been on, has brought me closer to the team and gave me precious memories for life.
Over the years, I have bonded with many cricketers, but Sachin Tendulkar has always been someone with whom I have shared a special bond. He would never say no if I had any queries. It was more like — I could always go to him and he would always be there to answer them. We have had meals together and we have hung out together, just chatting and conversing on a gamut of topics.
From all my shared experiences, there was this one time in the 2011 tour, when India had lost the first match against Australia. I messaged him asking if he wanted to go and explore the beautiful vineyards in Melbourne, to which he willingly agreed. We spoke about a lot of things including cricket and the tour. This adventure of going around the city and getting to spend time with Sachin was something I will cherish all my life. I can never forget how I was blessed with an opportunity to understand the god of cricket’s mindset, his thinking process on and off the field.
Another prominent instance was when I was privileged to have the great A. B. de Villiers on the third season of Viu’s ‘What the Duck’ some time before his retirement announcement. I got to hear some amusing stories straight from the significant batsman — such as the prank that he pulled on Graeme Smith by saying that there was a ghost in the room. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to have worked with and around some amazing people. Sharing and being a part of such hilarious times has encouraged me to believe in my abilities. After all these experiences and being closely associated with everyone from the cricketing space, I can proclaim that I’m officially living the dream!
Vikram Sathaye is the host of Viu’s cricket talk show ‘What The Duck’.
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