Grand Wedlock - Extraa Innings on Sony Max
When Sony Max first introduced Extraa Innings, few would have expected it to be such a big success. With an esteemed panel comprising of past greats such as Jeff Thompson, Tony Greig, Ian Chappell, Barry Richards and our very own Navjot Singh Sidhu and Arun Lal, the show offers to be a great watch for the cricket lovers. A special mention to Charu Sharma, who as a host does a wonderful job with his easy going - calm disposure. The discussions on the show, be it related to the current session of play, or on general cricket issues are engrossing and are able to sustain the viewer's interest.
Every new concept is subject to criticism and questioning, and it was no different when Sony first introduced the trend setting Mandira Bedi as a co host for their show. I myself remember being biased against the concept of a woman - with no cricketing knowledge - presenting a cricket show, which had been a man's territory till date. But as you watch her, she came across as a pleasant change amongst the stereotyped discussions (not to forget the noodle straps
) - and soon became the biggest selling point of the show. And as always, the others could just end up "following" the trend - with other channels such as DD and Zee Sports coming up with their versions of Mandira - but ended up being a distant shadow of her.Be it a sneak peek into Shewag's mom cooking "Kheer" for him, or Rithambara's Tarrot Card predictions, or various contests running for the viewers, Extraa Innings is a winner with its innovative ideas and a perfect blend of entertainment with cricket. With the addition of Ronit Roy as a co host for entertainment section, the show surely promises to be a must watch for all... I certainly am glued to it - so you too give it a try!!
Sachin