Most people who follow cricket and religiously watch every match and tournament, cheering for India, would be familiar with Vikram Sathaye and his popular talk show What the Duck . The show that has helped cricket fans across the country get a glimpse into their favourite player’s off-field persona has now stepped into its third season.
A die-hard cricket fan, the commentator and host talks with a trace of delightthat the show is his dream. “I have travelled with the team for 15 long years and was lucky enough to hear the stories from the players. I wanted to bring out all these stories for the quintessential cricket fans.”
The third season has a number of fresh elements to keep the viewers engaged, including the concept of duos where Vikram will host two players, who share a sense of chemistry, on the couch. “I took a poll on social media and was flooded with requests for duos. I understood what the viewers were saying. If you have AB de Villiers independently it is fun, but when Jonty Rhodes and de Villiers come together, the banter will be even more interesting. There will be stories which were not explored before,” he adds.
The current season will host 10 iconic duos including de Villiers and Jonty Rhodes , Harbhajan Singh and Mohammed Kaif who have played cricket together and the Pandya brothers as well who talk about the brotherly chemistry they share on and off the field.
There are other duos like Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin and KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane who will take it to the next level.
Talking about hosting AB de Villers on the first episode of season three and his immediate retirement, Vikram quips, “I did not know he would retire after coming to my show,” and adds, “While I’ve enjoyed every episode, the first episode with Villiers and Jonty was special, as they were the first international players on my show.”
The MBA-holder, whose Facebook page has accumulated close to half a million likes, reveals that the two things to keep in mind while pairing players for the show, are popularity and players with an entertainment quotient in them. “The idea is to have a good mix of legends and current cricketers who have something in common,” says Vikram.
When it comes to adding humour to the show, being the vetted comedian he is, Vikram introduces a ‘Googlies’ segment in which four backstage comedians present jokes, share trivia, and provide insights from an experienced on-fielder. “While the show revolves around dressing room stories and cricket, in this segment I incorporate stand-up comedy and educate people,” he adds.
Vikram recalls an experience that Ashwin Ravichandran shared on the show’s second season: Once, when telling him that he was supposed to play well, Krishnamachari Srikkanth kept stubbing his cigarette in his sambar, a goof up owing to Srikkanth’s lack of attention.
He goes nostalgic about the last time Sachin Tendulkar was on the show. Tendulkar had talked about how Harbhajan Singh thought Sachin was calling him when he was only doing his customary nod. Will viewers see Sachin Tendulkar again on the show? Vikram reassures, “When I did that episode, I knew I had to get him back on the show.”
Once equipped with enough insight into other sports, Vikram plans on hosting a variety of players on his show in future. ‘Sports can teach you a lot and someday I would like to spend time with players from other sports as well,” he signs off.
Season 3 of What the Duck can be viewed on Viu and YouTube.
