Apart from her career as an actress, Mandira Bedi has also made a mark as one of the most successful television presenters at cricket tournaments. The actress, who appeared as an anchor for ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003 and 2007, the Champions Trophies in 2004 and 2006 and the IPL Season 2, has now recalled how she was stared down by a lot of cricketers.
Opening up about how there were times that she felt out of place, Mandira, in a recent interview, said: “I got stared down by a lot of the cricketers like, ‘what’s she even asking, why is she even asking that.’ They answered whatever they wanted to answer nothing connected to my question and that can be very very intimidating but I kind of was assured by the channel, that backed me and chose me from 150-200 women.”
The actress also opened up about how the players and panellists took a long time to accept her in the world of cricket. “Nobody accepted me to begin with, certainly not the people sitting on the panel,” she has been quoted saying.
The actress added that she is friends with all the ex-cricketers she worked with earlier, but the panellists didn’t like that. “They didn’t like that there was a woman wearing a saree, dressed up, talking cricket,” she told the portal. The actress explained that she was there to represent the “layperson” who doesn’t know every little detail about cricket.
Over the years, Mandira has certainly established herself as one of the most powerful television presenters. She is often regarded as one of the first female presenters to have been turned host for cricket tournaments.
The actress has also been a part of several films including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Shaadi Ka Laddo, Naam Gum Jaayega, Dus Kahaniyaan, Vodka Diaries and more recently, The Tashkent Files among others. Apart from her work as an actress and presenter, Mandira also played the titular role in the hit television show, Shanti.
