Hoping to take cricket to housewives: Washington

16th May 2008

The DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) is unfolding at an unbelievable pace, and 'action' seems to be the keyword of the tournament.

The last fortnight of the tournament is about to get underway and 'a fight for survival' and 'the race to the finish' are about to unfold. In all the days of IPL action, there are very few people that have had consistently good seats to the IPL extravaganza. But one very lucky Lekha Washington has had front-row seats to all the fours and sixes which were hit right in front of her very eyes. In her stint as a presenter for the official broadcaster SET Max, she has also interviewed the who's who of the sport so far.

This time, we talked to Lekha and managed to put her on the spot for a quick chat about the game and her favourites.

Lekha describes the IPL action in 4 words - mad, crazy, wicked and good, while adding that she is having the time of her life at the event. The only downside of her job, she said, was the constant travelling between matches as it involved running from one venue to the other everyday in order to cover the matches.

Women have been taking an active interest in the field of cricket coverage. Mandira Bedi made a mark as a presenter during the Cricket World Cup and Donna Symmonds is a well-known commentator on the game.

Talking about the role of the modern woman in the traditional gentleman's game, Lekha said, "We are hoping to take the matches to housewives and to girls as there are not many women watching cricket. I'm all for women presenters and women cricketers."

One interesting wish Lekha has is of seeing mixed teams consisting of men and women competing in a cricket match someday soon.

The petite presenter was then put through a rapid-fire round of questions by our reporter which she answered with speedy precision. Here's how she fared:

Best game of the tournament: The opening game between Kolkata Knight Riders and the Bangalore Royal Challengers because of the big hitting by Brendon McCullum and the elaborate celebrations that preceded the game.

Favourite cricketer: Ricky Ponting, but if Shah Rukh Khan had been a cricketer, I would have loved him.

Favourite IPL moment: When Shane Warne agreed to an interview.

Team loyalties: Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Well, Lekha certainly has been having a gala time at the IPL and she certainly is living the dream of so many cricket fans.