Sanjana Ganesan: In A League of Her Own

Ganesan didn't seem in danger of a desk job anytime soon. She now stood on the precipice of a camera-facing industry, and it felt right. "I had a conversation with my family, and told them I wanted to give Bombay a shot. Thanks to Miss India, I walked a couple of fashion weeks, did a few campaigns..." It was going well enough, until one day, Star Sports announced an open call for presenters. "My agency suggested I go meet them. I wasn't a sports fan back then. But the team at Star Sports told me they'd train me, and help me learn everything from scratch. That challenge really appealed to me." She laughs as she admits she had no real feel for sports, and her family even less so. "My dad's a chartered accountant and my mom's a lawyer. I grew up in a very academic household. Sports weren't on our radar! So, when this became my career, it was new for both me and my family. At first, they didn't really understand what I was doing. I still remember my dad asking, 'When does your real career start?'" she laughs. "Now, they're so into it! They watch all the pre-shows and post-match analysis when I'm on. It's been a journey." There is a smile in her voice when she mentions that when she introduced her husband, Jasprit Bumrah, to her family, they had no idea who he was. "Even when I introduced Jasprit to my family, they didn't really get the full extent of who he was," she grins. "It was only about a year after we got married that my parents were like, 'Wait, he's one of the best bowlers in the world?' They actually had no clue! It was really sweet. When they found out, they said, 'He's a big deal, Sanjana'," she smiles. It was a good thing, in retrospect, Ganesan muses. It took the pressure off. "They just met him as a person, not as a celebrity. It allowed them to like him for who he was, versus who he was in sports."

You wouldn't guess that Ganesan had only watched the occasional 'big match' growing up if you met her today, but she insists it took her time to acclimate. "I came in at a really interesting time. More women were entering the field, and the ones before me had already begun the work of carving space. I also started at a time when women's cricket was on the rise, ten years ago—God, that makes me sound old!" Ganesan's chuckle is self-effacing. "But cut to a decade later, and I've worked on productions (like the Women's World Cup) where the entire crew was women. And by that, I really mean every producer, every presenter. It's so heartening."

Her own novice status didn't stand in her way, because she set herself a 'low bar'. "I knew I had a lot to learn, and I was willing to do it. I had to learn on the job—but I loved it." It was the 'get up and dust off' approach that comes from if you're a keen learner—and Ganesan used every snafu to course correct. Advice was everywhere, but separating grain from chaff, and helpful from unwelcome, was important. "So many comments were just . . . not required? For instance, this one commentator told me 'You look so nice when you smile, you should do it more.' I smile enough, thank you." Although, she points out, the reverse has also been true. Mentors across genders chipped in with helpful criticism instead of slack. "So many people have been encouraging, and genuinely wanted me to do better. Their feedback has come from a place of kindness—'I've been doing this for 20 years, and I've found XYZ works, if that helps you.' I've had that kind of support—and it makes a difference."

Her job is chaotic, but the good kind. When your workday involves a stadium of 60,000+ people on hot afternoons, traversing crowded elevators and giant sports fields on the regular, you need to love it; and Ganesan does. "I get the best seats in the house, and to watch the game from that premium vantage point in an air-conditioned box. It's fantastic!" Being in front of a camera in that kind of heat and pandemonium seems like a challenge. "It is," she confirms. "But over time I've found a few things that help."

The first is a pre-show skincare routine she wouldn't tamper with for the world. "My hair, skin and make-up routine have been set in stone for years," she says. "I wouldn't change it unless there was some revolutionary product that warranted it. It's taken years to perfect this, so why mess with it?" That routine invariably calls for products with lasting ability that can stay unwavering in the face of a game that goes for hours with only a light touch-up. "It's turned me into a setting spray junkie!" Ganesan laughs. "They're a lifesaver for hot days, because everything just melts otherwise."

The 'melting' that would naturally occur over matches that can often run 12 hours is a key factor, one that bases many of her beauty decisions. "I keep a light, natural base—nothing that can crack or smudge easily, or needs more than a quick refresher. I'm always on top of my sunscreen, face and body (and I love a non-stick spray sunscreen for the body). A hydrating, lightweight primer helps; and so does a long-wear lipstick that will not let my hair stick to my lips when the wind blows."

Her make-up decisions have also been honed by her frequent travel—and made her a big fan of the dual-purpose product. "Travelling as much as I do, I have a soft spot for products that can double up; a lipstick that can also be blush. I like when it does more, and saves me space."

The frequent travelling has also made her especially reminiscent of home and its luxuries. "I love getting champis with oil from my mother when I'm home; it's a grounding ritual." The other thing she misses about home? The palliative powers of a kitchen-made rasam. "A bowl of rasam-rice heals my soul,' she says, without a hint of snark. "Sambar is the hero in my home, but I believe in the star quality that rasam has."

One of her favourite travel beauty traditions has become walking into local skincare stores and stocking up on sheet masks. "I adore them," she says fervently. "I'll often pick one up at a local store if I'm in town. They're so easy, and so good for clear skin." On the cloudier days, for her skin, a pimple patch is often a go-to—especially on a match day. "They literally save my skin. But if they don't, I've stopped worrying about it as much. Motherhood will do that to you—rejig your priorities. And somehow, after that, a pimple doesn't crack the top ten," she smiles.

As sure as she is of her beauty rituals now, she chuckles when she thinks of the 'bad experiments' that helped her get there. "Oh, I made some mistakes," she says wryly, as we commiserate over the thin arched-eyebrow era that defined every 2000s girl. "A crazy hair colour was one of them." The most recent one she made was trying lip stains. "For someone as dehydrated as I am, lip stains were a nightmare! The colour would settle into the cracks of my lips and, I swear to God, I looked like I'd been chewing tobacco!" Ganesan shudders, vowing never to try them again until "I'm drinking enough water to keep my lips hydrated enough." After an hour of chatting with Ganesan as she gets her hair and make-up done for the cover shoot, it becomes quickly clear how she manages to do it all. She doesn't miss a beat answering questions about a formidable professional field while her mascara is put on, or about admitting to having made some beauty gaffes growing up as her hair is perfectly blown out. There is a calm with which she navigates the multitudes that has been cultivated over the years; one that makes me wonder if it's been there all along. "If I could go back and tell my younger self anything, it would be that this takes time. Establishing yourself, getting credibility, becoming confident as you do what you do—it's a work in progress." And if Ganesan's own story arc is to be believed—success, love, motherhood, and (of course) great skin—it's all coming together beautifully.