On the ball, always

In a cricket crazy nation like India, there are some who’re closet experts of the sport and others who proclaim to be at par with any other master of the game. But there are only a few who wish to tread the path which would not allow them to display this talent, but only spread the knowledge of it. Gautam Bhimani, too, was among those who wouldn’t have imagined that his knowledge of cricket and his enterprising personality would land him a job that ardent lovers of the sport would be envious of!
After completing school, Gautam studied Mass Communication at Missouri State University, US, and it took quite a few years before he became a TV presenter. “I worked for six years in advertising with JWT (J Walter Thomson),” said Gautam. A quiz buff since childhood, it was one of the quiz shows (Brand Equity Quiz) that landed Gautam in Singapore. “Then everything changed. There I happened to visit the ESPN studios as a tourist. They didn’t have a studio in India back then. As a sports fan, it completely captivated me. Harsha (Bhogle) was recording a show that was being telecast in India,” he reminisced.

It was during a long conversation there that Harsha saw his knowledge and passion for cricket and when he came to India, the channel approached Gautam. “I was asked to send across a profile and portfolio. I sent across the articles that I’d written on cricket. And then I got a call, I had to start in Delhi. That was when the India operations were starting from scratch. Until then all broadcasting would happen from Singapore.”

Gautam started out as a researcher with the ESPN and it was during India’s tour to Zimbabwe (2001) that he embarked on his journey to fame. “For the tour to Zimbabwe, an English reporter was being sent. I was asked if I would like to go and do it live because it made more sense for an Indian to cover it for the Indian audience. I was game,” he said. Asked whether he had to battle the fear and apprehensions of a first-timer, he said, “I had done theatre since I was a kid. And there cannot be any better preparation for a live show than being on stage with 200 pairs of eyes staring at you!”

If getting to the studio is a tough task, then sustaining a position there isn’t a cakewalk either. On pursuing the profession of a cricket commentator and TV presenter, Gautam shared some thoughts, “In cricket, players are the ones to get into the job of commentary and there have been some who in their initial days were awful, but improved over the years. Being a cricket commentator is a very different job. You have give words to what you see and make your own script. You need to know the language, the play of words, when to pause and when to speak. To be a broadcaster one should know how the sport is played and then also know whom to ask what question.”

So what are the essentials for a good TV presenter? “On TV one has to add to the picture. Also, presence of mind is very important. And another important thing is the ability to laugh at oneself for all the mistakes made and at the same time improvise on it.”
Apart from luck, Gautam’s perseverance and passion have made him what he is today. The trick, he said, is “to try and reinvent yourself each time. You have to have fun. I try and do something more fun every time and surprise the audience.”