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Jest the way he is!
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Navjot Singh Sidhu continues to regale us with his trademark one-liners
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All embracing Navjot Singh Sidhu says IPL will help domestic cricket
Love him or hate him but nobody can ignore Navjot Singh Sidhu. The stoic opener who was once loved for taking Shane Warne to cleaners is now known for his witty one-liners, be it in Parliament or on television. As he returns as the judge in the fourth season of ‘The Great India Laughter Challenge’ on Star One, here are excerpts from an interview:
Why has laughing become such a challenge?
Because life has become too materialistic…people take themselves too seriously. They believe in all the medicines except laughter, which is the best.
b>In comparison to the first season, the standard of jokes in Laughter Challenge considerably came down last year.
First love is always remembered. Where is the ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati?’ That we are into the fourth season despite bitter battles for TRPs is creditable in itself.
Critics blame you for laughing at every joke irrespective of its standard.
The channel is responsible. They edit my laughter and paste it at the end of every joke, good or bad.
Why don’t you complain?
I have learnt some audience enjoy my laughter. If somebody feels happy at my cost why should I complain?
How do you create Sidhuisms and are they original?
My father liked to use one-liners in the courtroom. I was inspired by him. As I was heavily into meditation and used to read a lot of self-help books, when I started doing commentary, they started coming out effortlessly. They are original.
Has IPL changed cricket forever?
Absolutely! 240 was considered to be a decent score in One Day Internationals. Now it has been achieved in 20 overs. In my days the record of sixes in a match was 6-7. Now McCullum has his 13 in just 20 overs. It will have an impact on ODIs and Tests. We will see much bigger scores in these formats.
Are you in favour of the format?
Yes, because it has and could do a lot for domestic cricket. Once it was English county, today it is destination India. The presence of so many foreign players will boost the confidence of state-level player. Players like Dinda and Abhishek Nayar, who were hardly known at the national level, are sharing the bench with the likes of Ricky Ponting and Shaun Pollock and are doing well. Pollock once told me that his life changed when in a South African League match he took four wickets while Malcolm Marshall could manage only one. He suddenly realised that he is ready for the big stage.
How do you see the slapping controversy involving Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth?
It is the violation of the spirit of the game and should not be tolerated. The game is driven by Gandhigiri and not dadagiri.
Has it something to do with the system of auction where players like Harbhajan are not playing for their home city and feeling the pressure?
Could be. Big names should play for their home cities. Can you imagine Michael Jordan not playing for Chicago? However the format will evolve with time and such issues will be sorted out.
ANUJ KUMAR
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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