Alokananda Chakraborty
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Sachin Tendulkar to make his TV debut in November

Sachin Tendulkar will host two weekly shows on ESPN and STAR Sports – India Vs and Sachin Speaks On World Cup Stars

You have seen Sachin Tendulkar on the cricket ground stunning fans with his swashbuckling performance. Now you can catch him on TV hosting two weekly shows on ESPN and STAR Sports. These are India Vs and Sachin Speaks On World Cup Stars, where he analyses the teams and the stars in a lead up to the Cricket World Cup.

The first episode of India Vs debuts November 5, and will be aired every Tuesday at 9.00 pm on STAR Sports, with a repeat telecast on ESPN every Wednesday at 8.30 pm. In each hour-long episode of India Vs, Sachin will examine India's past performances against an international team and then go on to evaluate India's chances against that team in the forthcoming World Cup. Sachin will also give his perspective on various teams participating in the World Cup. In effect, India Vs will feature the best teams in the game, covering cricketing nations like Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

In Sachin Speaks On World Cup Stars, Sachin Tendulkar will share his assessment of the world's top cricketers. It will be those men in the spotlight whose presence is likely to make a crucial difference to their respective team's performances during the upcoming African safari. The half-hour Sachin Speaks On World Cup Stars will be aired on ESPN every Thursday at 8.30 pm starting November 7, with repeat telecast every Friday on STAR Sports at 9.30 pm. Some of the cricket stars to be featured in Sachin Speaks… include Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Chris Cairns, Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Muttiah Muralitharan, Brian Lara, Andy Flower and Andrew Flintoff.

Besides Sachin, cricketing greats like Carl Hooper, Heath Streak, Andy Flower, Stephen Fleming, Chris Harris, Shaun Pollock, Allan Donald and Jacques Kallis will also offer insights on their contemporaries.

In retrospect, these programmes were very much in the offing. Earlier this year when ESPN STAR Sports announced Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador (his first ever exclusive TV channel contract), it was clear the association would go much beyond pure advertising-oriented endorsements.

It is evident these programmes have set the tone for the three-year contract. Manu Sawhney, managing director, ESPN Software India, is of course happy. "We are proud to present the first ever exclusive television programme featuring Sachin Tendulkar on ESPN and STAR Sports. This is just the beginning of our long relationship with the batting maestro, and I am sure the weekly programmes will offer an incredible treat to the millions of ESPN and STAR Sports' cricket crazy viewers across India," he said.

The feeling seems mutual. Sachin Tendulkar is equally excited about his first brush with TV, as a host. "It's a new experience completely. The two programmes give me an ideal platform to share my thoughts and extend my relationship with the millions of cricket fans across India."

The two programmes have been shot in an interesting format where the popular commentator Harsha Bhogle, with his unique interviewing style, quizzes the Master Blaster on contemporary cricketers and international cricket teams. On his turn, Sachin offers his opinions drawing from his first-hand experience of each situation being discussed. This, coupled with comments from the ESPN STAR Sports' A Few Good Men team - comprising Sunil Gavaskar, Bobby Simpson, Ravi Shastri, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Harsha himself - will give a great depth to the programme, say the company officials. © 2002 agencyfaqs!

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