The ‘Tony Greig’ from Jodhpur village

JAIPUR: "The little man has hit the big fella for a six! He's half his size," the charismatic voice of seasoned English commentator Tony Greig on Sachin Tendulkar's assault against Australia during the Desert Storm series of 1998 at Sharjah echoed miles away in Chaturpura village of Shergarh tehsil of Jodhpur.
And 11-year-old Devender Kumar got hooked. Since then, he has never missed a cricket commentary, be it on radio or television.

The magic of cricket in English ignited a zeal in Kumar —first to learn the language and then to become a commentator — which he took to its logical end.

From being trolled for his live commentary of cricket matches at the SMS Stadium, 27-year-old Kumar now finds himself at the Sharjah cricket stadium sharing the commentary box with former New Zealand cricketer Danny Morrison.

He has completed his first big cricket assignment with a major sports broadcasting network for the three-match Ireland vs Afghanistan series. Kumar aims to become a cricket commentator for BBC radio.

"I had tears in my eyes when I got my first assignment. I could not believe that I was at the Sharjah cricket ground and sharing the commentary box with Danny Morrison. I believe my journey has only begun. I need to focus and work harder," said Kumar, speaking to TOI on Sunday.

Recalling his childhood in a village where only one or two households had a television, he said, "I was fascinated by the voice of Tony Greig. I realized that I must learn English. My father, who is in the army, had gifted a radio to my grandfather which became my teacher. I used to tune in to Voice of America-Dynamic English, a radio programme followed by the news of the world. I started visiting libraries and bought an English dictionary. Even today, I watch only English news and listen to sports commentaries from different sports channels," he said.

"I used to get up during cricket matches at the SMS Stadium and start commentary. People used to troll and mock me. Nobody could understand my obsession for it," he said.

He is now getting more TV and radio assignments. "But my bigger dream is to be an official cricket commentator for what is called Test Match Special (TMS) for BBC Radio," he said.

But has he contemplated any other career? "I had done a diploma course in nursing. After continued pressure from my family, I had once applied for the post of a staff nurse at a hospital in New York. I got a call, but I politely turned down the offer," he said.