He made a dream debut with the first edition of Indian Idol that catapulted him to national fame. Abhijeet Sawant became a household name but couldn’t capitalise on that good luck
But he did manage to achieve his ambition of becoming a playback singer, even though as an outsider with no backing it was not easy for him in the industry.
Now, in the reality TV series Box Cricket League , he gets another innings on television, to win hearts not with his singing skills but his cricketing prowess. Abhijeet is a member of Delhi Dragons, which will fight it out against teams from Pune, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Kolkata and Ahmedabad. The show, featuring cricket matches between celebrity teams, will be aired on Sony Entertainment Channel.
“Cricket has always been a religion in our country and when the gentleman’s game is played by celebrities, TV actors or singers, then everybody would like to watch them play. So this show has all the stars to ensure that it would become a must watch show,” says the singer who wowed fans with “Mohabbatein Lutaunga”.
But how much cricket has he played? “During my school and college days, I regularly played cricket in the neighbourhood. I was in love with the game.” Asked if he minds being placed in the Delhi team rather than Mumbai, he says, “ Desh sabhi ka hai . Whether you belong to Delhi or Mumbai, ultimately you are an Indian, who can work in any part of the country. Delhiites earning their livelihood in Bombay are Indians and have a right to work there. We shouldn’t discriminate between people on the basis of where they come from.”
As for his approach to the game, which has seen a number of changes in recent years, he says, “I remember our country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s statement ‘play the game in the spirit of the game’. So whenever I go out on the field to either bowl or bat I make sure that I play cricket without resorting to any cheating which might bring the game disrepute.”
The leather ball has been replaced by a soft yet bouncy one.
“It is a smiley ball and the game will be played indoors. There will be new twists in the game,” says Abhijeet.
