Mumbai: Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith, who is now a TATA IPL expert with JioCinema’s insiders feed that brings an insider’s perspective on the game with cricketing legends and TATA IPL champions, is mesmerised with the Bhojpuri commentary feed that’s taken fans by storm over the past six weeks of the tournament. The former left-handed opening batsman, who at the age of 22, was appointed SA’s youngest-ever captain and held the position of test captain till his retirement in 2014, said he’s become a huge fan of the word Bhojpuri.
Speaking about why he thinks JioCinema’s 12-language commentary feeds, especially Bhojpuri and Punjabi, have become such huge hits, Smith exclaimed: “I love the word Bhojpuri. I love it. I think I might use that often. I was actually chatting with Anil Kumble last night; I think it’s just the ability to connect with people on a level that feels like home. It’s their language, so they can relate to it; it makes sense to them, and the same with Punjabi. You’re creating content now that speaks directly to the fan. They’re loving the cricket on the field, but the information they are receiving around it is something they can connect with".
Smith also spoke on what would be tougher chasing twenty runs in the final over of a T20 match or figuring out all the in-match features on the JioCinema app. “Probably easier for me to chase twenty; I’m still trying to get to terms with the JioCinema app and all the content. I’m trying to find languages that I can understand as well, but I think certainly on my phone when I play with the JioCinema app, it’s fantastic to have all those options available. And chasing twenty was a long time ago, so bring on the app!”