Sandhya Mridul, of Hubahu fame, will also be seen in MAX's Extraaa Innings during the forthcoming World Cup Cricket 2003. Sandhya Mridul had shot into fame while performing the roles of the twin sisters with diametrically different liefstyles. The serial had it all - drama, romance, caviar and champagne lifestyle, modern nuclear family, investigation, possibly action and 'not to miss' passionate kissing shots probably for the first time since Tara.

However, viewers commented on the difficulty of differentiating between the sisters ; a telling comment on Mridul's acting.

Now Mridul is the new addition to MAX's team of presenters: Mandira Bedi, Charu Sharma, Maria Goretti and a host of cricketers. The cricket programming had drawn criticism from some quarters for the dumbing down of the game it entailed. The channel had however insisted that ratings for Extraaa Innings proved otherwise.

Mridul was present at the press conference arranged by SET MAX on 9 January 2003 to announce their mega plans for the forthcoming World Cup and had a brief tete-a-tete with indiantelevision.com. Excerpts :

Why did you opt to be a part of Extraaa Innings?
I am curently in the midst of a 6-month break from television serials. My role in Saathiya has been appreciated and my second release Vaisa Bhi Hota Hai with Shashank Ghosh is slated for an April release. I have two more films including one with Rajshri Films.

I have been in the TV industry since the last five years. I had done whatever could be done in terms of comedy, sitcoms and other genres. I started feeling tired of being repetitive. I had lost a lot of good opportunities due to my hectic schedule of TV-related shootings.

I got a call from the SET MAX team and I grabbed the opportunity as it will be a new experience for me. I admit that I am not a cricket freak but I enjoy watching sports. Primarily, I want be part of the cricket mania that will envelope the entire country and all other cricketing nations.

Have you ever hosted any shows on TV or elsewhere?
I had hosted the Filmfare awards three years back. I have been a presenter for some film festivals and was also associated with the IIFA awards in Malaysia. I have been very choosy and selected one or two shows every year.

I feel that I have a fairly good understanding of the skills needed for the task. I am not going to be nervous as I have got used to the format of television and stage presentations.

Does this mean that you are gradually shifting towards films?
I have some good offers in hand where I shall be essaying some well-defined roles. My stint in the television industry has been consuming; I shall not use the word time-consuming. However, it had become boring and repetitive. In a way, it has drained me and my creative energy clearly needed new vistas to manifest itself. Extraaa Innings could make me look at television differently.

Have you ever visited South Africa?
I have never been to South Africa. I love to travel and see new lands. This could be a great opportunity and an enjoyable experience.

Do you feel that cricket could become an entertaining experience for the entire family and appeal to housewives?
Definitely. The World Cup fever has already started much before the first ball of the tournament will be bowled. MAX officials have provided statistics that female viewers lapped up the Extraaa Innings format and the concept was successful. Now, our role will be extend the concept and take it to the next higher plane.

Mandira Bedi and I shall attempt to add an extra dimension to the entire theme of Extraaa Innings. There is already a comfort-level and a strong association between the housewives and TV stars like Mandira and myself. Many Indian women relate to us and might get hooked on to our on-screen antics.

Our roles will not entail enlightening the purists but rope in the 'uninitiated', as MAX officials claim.