What was it like presenting the IPL cricket show for ITV?

It’s been fantastic. In fact, the response that the channel has got has been brilliant. ITV was expecting a certain number in terms of rating and this has been probably seven or eight times than that projection and it’s been 10 times the ratings Setanta, the channel showing IPL 2009, got last year. The head of ITV is really happy. He called me to the office and told me that “I am really happy with the response we have got for you.” IPL on ITV is doing better than the England-Bangladesh series on Sky!

It’s been a new audience for me. It’s a new set of guests. Normally, whenever I have done cricket it’s always been with a team that I have worked with before. Here I went to England not knowing a soul that I was going to be working with. Not my co-presenters, not my guests and not even the voices in my ears. I was a little apprehensive to begin with thinking how is it going to be like. And then I ended up doing two solo shows in the studio. On those two days I had no co-presenter. That was a first for me. I really enjoyed the experience.

Why have you come back?

That’s how it was always going to be. My deal with them was 15 days at the top of the tournament and the last 10 days and I would be here the time in between. When the 15 days were ending, I was like... I don’t want to go back. Even though here is where all the action is.

Did you miss being at the grounds?

I did and that’s why I am back. There were some commitments which I couldn’t get out of when I took on the ITV contract. Having said that I will be hitting the grounds as much as I can. I will be going to the Brabourne stadium for a couple of matches. I will be in Delhi watching one of the Daredevils games. I will be making up for lost time in these 15 days I will be here. I want to come to watch a match in Eden Gardens and cheer for the Knight Riders. I do have to watch one game there at least. Also, I’ll be sitting as a guest in the MAX studio for a few matches.

Did you have to alter your approach because you were catering to a UK audience?

You know what, of all the presenters and guests there, I had the most perspective on the game because I had followed IPL 1 very closely and I was part of IPL 2. So I know which players play for which team, which players have done well in Season 1 and Season 2. The others hadn’t followed the tournament that closely.

There was no difference as such in the approach. There’s only one way I know. What I try to bring to the table is a different kind of energy. In England, cricket or any sport is taken very seriously. So I come along and bring that different energy... there’s a lot of banter, there’s a lot of lighter moments. I have to admit that getting that going amongst serious cricketers and ex-cricketers in the first two to three days was a little hard. But then, I held my own and I enjoyed it.

What was your wardrobe like this time?

The Guardian newspaper called me the best turned out presenter on British television! That was very nice, I thought. See, UK has never seen what I wear and normally presenters there wear jacket and jeans. I brought all the colours with me. I wore saris. I wore a few crickety clothes, the ones Satya Paul had done for me before. One day I wore jeans. One day I wore trousers. I mixed and matched a lot of things. I was told that since it was an Indian tournament I was allowed to wear saris. So of the 15 days, I think I wore saris on four days.

How did you combat the London chill in your famous noodle straps?

Fortunately, the studios are heated. But the corridors are not. So every time I had to go to the loo, I used to freeze on my way. It was so funny that we were talking about cricketers who were sweating away on the field and we were freezing. Every morning I used to get the wake-up call, the lady would ask: “Would you like to know about the weather?” And she would continue: “Today it’s between four degrees and nine degrees!” I was like I don’t want to hear the temperature and I don’t want to know about the weather because then I wouldn’t come out of the bed. (Laughs out loud.) I do enjoy the cold but in England people’s moods, energies and demeanours depend a lot on the weather. If the sky is grey, people are gloomy... if the sun is shining, people are upbeat and happy.

What is your take on the current league table in IPL 3?

The team that started out strong, Kolkata Knight Riders, has had a couple of pretty bad losses. It’s wonderful to see the resurgence of Rajasthan. After three losses in a row, they have four wins in a row and are looking good. Mumbai Indians is looking really strong and is definitely the team to beat. This is pretty much the team that played last year but they have just come back with renewed energy. Zaheer and Malinga are unstoppable and it’s wonderful to see Sachin get runs in this shortest format of the game. And then there’s Jacques Kallis of Bangalore. What I love about the tournament is that no matter how much people say that T20 is for young blood and fresh legs, every year the seniors are coming to the party. Last year it was Gilchrist and Hayden, this year it’s been Kallis and Sachin. That’s just brilliant.