January has proven to one of those amazing months that refuses to fade away from my memory anytime soon!

My obsession with music is quite obvious to those who know me. But those who know me well will also tell you about my passion for the game of cricket. No surprises there really! I am an Indian and cricket runs in my DNA (Oh yes, a stereotype alright, but I do conform to it!)

Late last year Cricket Australia approached Saffron Groove to perform at the MCG and SCG for two of India’s One Day Internationa matches versus Australia. And as amazing an experience as that was, this blog post is not about that!

My awesome other-half once again brought something to my attention – Indian Link was running a competition for Hindi commentators for the T20 series! I put my application in and forgot about it. Next thing I knew was that I was selected as part of their commentary team!

January 26 – India’s republic day and Australia Day. Also the day of the first T20 game between the sides. I caught the early morning flight to Adelaide and spotted some Cricket Australia officials in the flight. But in the seat ahead of me was a familiar face – Mel Jones, cricket commentator and former Australian Cricketer. She was very easy to talk to and was kind enough to offer me some ‘intel’ on the women’s game later that afternoon that we as commentators were covering as well.

We reached the Adelaide Oval by mid-morning. We walked into the accreditation office where we were handed ‘media’ passes. We were then led into the media centre – a long line of commentary rooms (one reserved for Channel Nine and one for Star Sports India).

The commentary room offered breathtaking views of the ground and it took me a while to settle into what was going to be a great day. I checked the headsets and my research material on the laptop and then had a light lunch. And then it was game on!

The team of three commentators worked in pairs and rotated after every five overs. During my first break, I strolled out of our room and bumped into Michael Slater who was very friendly and said, “It’s nice to see you guys doing the commentary.” Yes, word had spread that there was something new about the commentary this time – Cricket Australia’s partnership with Indian Link meant there would be Hindi commentary for the first time in Australia.

Three hours later I had made my commentary debut and had the privilege of covering an exciting T20 match where the Indian women’s team emerged victorious. In the break between the two T20 games, we sauntered around the beautiful Adelaide Oval and then returned to the media room, now teeming with famous commentators! We caught up with Matthew Hayden who was cheerful and easy going. We then found Michael Slater again who was happy to pose for a photograph. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Harsha Bhogle who held a suit in his hand and seemed to be in a great rush! But credit to the man who displayed great courtesy and waited for the photograph to be taken. Now, that is classy!

As commentators for Cricket Australia, we were invited to the buffet dinner before the game and we took out seats surrounded by Ian Healy, Mark Nicholas, Michael Slater and many other familiar faces. Michael Slater also had a chat with us about why he thinks Virat Kohli is so potent! His commentary makes it obvious, but it was fascinating to hear his first-hand views on batting.

Dinner over. Now it was time for the big event. We went back to the media center and took our seats to cover the India v Australia T20. Those who have seen cricket matches with me will know how excited I tend to get. And that day my excitement levels reached a new high and I found it impossible to take a seat even as I commenced my commentary with the rest of our brilliant team (Sanjeev Dubey, Mukesh Madaan and Pawan Luthra accompanied by Michael, our tech support). The camaraderie amongst the commentators was exemplary as we enjoyed every moment of the game as well as the priceless opportunity to talk about it on air.

In the break, I was able to meet VVS Laxman as part of the Star commentary team who were in the adjoining room to us. Also commentating were bowling greats Damien Fleming and Jason Gillespie who were game for a cool selfie after the game finished. Again, the random stroll in my break times resulted in catching up with Mark Waugh and Michael Hussey, fresh from his win in the BBL.

As it turned out, India posted 190 and defended it after a spirited start from the Australian team. That in itself was exhilarating, but what followed was even better. A quick moment with Ravi Shastri, the team director who came out of the Adelaide oval beaming with joy!

That night the commentary team settled into the Stamford Plaza and had a good night’s rest before catching our flights back. My flight was the latest the next day and I happened to catch a ride to the airport, courtesy Mr Bhogle and Very Very Special Laxman who were on the same flight and shared their love for music along with some insights into their busy schedule on tour!

As if all that wasn’t enough for a star-struck me, the whole Australian team was also traveling on the same flight to Melbourne! Finally, back in Melbourne, I bid adieu to messers Bhogle and Laxman and got picked up by my wife who was waiting with bated breath to know every little detail! The Adelaide stint was followed up with another one at Melbourne where the awesomeness was repeated all over again. This was without doubt an experience that ranks right up there with some of my most special memories and boy, I can’t wait to do this all over again! Big thanks to Cricket Australia and Indian Link for this wonderful opportunity.