“I have loved playing football since my school days, so I didn’t think twice about stepping into the commentary box,” explains Giri. “Although we were conducting the live broadcast from a van outside the stadium, I enjoyed each match as if I was right at the centre.”
The 21-year-old began his stint as a sports commentator in 2012 during the Soaltee Super Sixes cricket tournament. At first it was sheer curiosity that led Suraj to speak on air. But after former Indian test-cricketer VVS Laxman praised his work, Giri realised he was made for the job.
Exciting though speaking to the masses is, Giri admits it is also a lot of hard work. He spends hours listening to international commentators like cricket expert Harsha Bhogle and makes notes of how the veterans bring the game alive to their TV audience. He is also meticulous in planning his shows and likes to learn the minute details of a player's career.
Says Suraj: “Since there isn’t much information available on our athletes, it is difficult to prepare. So I spend most of my time scouring the internet and talking to experts.”
Before proving his mettle in sports commentary, Giri made his foray into the small screen after winning Image Channel’s VJ Hunt in 2009. Back then, he was given charge of call-in request shows. Taking inspiration from his late uncle Prabin Giri, former news anchor for Nepal Television, Suraj announced his arrival in 2013 with the massively popular Call Kantipur.
Giri explains that his large fan following motivates him to deliver his best on air. “I am glad that my love for sports has turned into a profession, but I still have a long way to go before I can consider myself successful,” says one of the most famous and promising faces in Nepali television.
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