Best thing about sport is talking about it: Radhakrishnan

After completing his Master of Business Administration degree at the KJ Somaiya College in Mumbai, the Chennai-based lad went the extra mile to pursue his passion. “The best thing after playing a sport is probably talking about it. Once my MBA was done, I sat back and thought about my strengths. God has given me this gift of communicating well. Doing commentary was an exciting option,” said Radhakrishnan, who is a part of the Star Sports commentary panel in the Tamil Nadu Premier League Season 3.

“I used to regularly participate in debates and elocutions because of my liking for public speaking. I just wanted to do something which I always loved,” added the 40-year-old. Initially, Radhakrishnan worked as a reporter for ESPN Star Sports in 2002. If there is one moment in time when the seemingly impossible turns possible, it is when one achieves a major breakthrough in his/her life. The moment he waited for finally arrived in 2006 when one of the broadcasters, Neo Sports, was on the lookout for a cricket presenter. 

“My major break came when Neo (Sports) was in search of an Indian face to present cricket. I also had a stint with Ten Sports and then moved to Star last year,” he said. Talking behind the microphone not only gives your voice a global reach but also gifts you trips to different arenas as a part of your job. 

“I feel I am extremely lucky. I got to travel to a lot of places and meet new faces. I had the opportunity to work with some fantastic commentators,” he said with a sense of satisfaction. Radhakrishnan has been constantly switching between Tamil and English commentary boxes in the ongoing TNPL. 

Asked if he faces any difficulty while swapping roles, he stated, “I see it as a challenge. I focus on the flow of thoughts while shifting from one box to another. I have been working as a presenter in English for several years. Hence, I am comfortable with the language. It’s been a year since I made my debut in Tamil (commentary), with my confidence growing with every passing assignment.”

He also expressed his adulation for Australian Ian Chappell and English duo of Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton during our interaction. While many other commentators are struggling to enunciate nightmarish names like Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Abolfazl Maghsoudlou, an avid sports fan will find Radhakrishnan doing it with purity in diction. 

When queried about the work he does behind the scenes for it, he added, “It always feels good when the name is said the way it is meant to be. In terms of effort, I browse a few websites to know how the names are pronounced back in their homeland.”