The IPL broadcaster seems to be considered “virtual commentary” in the upcoming edition of the franchise-based league after a successful attempt during an exhibition match. For a live game at Centurion Park in South Africa on Sunday, Irfan Pathan was seen doing commentary from his Baroda home, Deep Dasgupta joined in from Kolkata while Sanjay Manjrekar did his job from his Mumbai residence.

Pathan termed the experience of being able to commentate from his home as “magical”. As the coronavirus pandemic has forced teh world to witness some drastic changes, the IPL broadcaster Star Sports has experimented with virtual commentary for a 36-over exhibition match where three teams locked horns with each other at Centurion Park.

ALSO READ: Kane Williamson Is Waiting For IPL 2020 Buts Wants To Be Cautious

Talking about the same during a chat with PTI, Pathan said, “It was an extraordinary experience though we were worried throughout because the internet speed can fluctuate and that affects the voice quality.”

He further added, “Anything can happen anytime in live cricket, and with technology not fully in your control, it can be tricky but Star did a wonderful job. Star is usually very thorough with its planning and execution but commentary from home in the IPL will be a massive challenge.”

Pathan feels that the commentary from the ground can’t be replaced but a similar thing was implemented successfully in teh last season of the IPL as well.  Considering the internet connectivity is not the best in India, all commentators will have to increase their internet speed from 5 Mbps to 20 Mbps, which is a minimum requirement for live production.

ALSO READ: Quinton de Kock Reveals When AB de Villiers Will Make A Comeback?

Explaining the same, Pathan said, “We rehearsed it a day before the game just to test internet quality. At times, there was delay in the feed, so there could be overlapping in that scenario. Overall, we did alright but when you are on the ground, it takes your commentary to the next level. There is so much detailing and analysis nowadays. Commentary from home is surely an option but not sure how often we can use it.”