6 reasons to watch Netflix's The Great Indian Kapil Show with Rohit Sharma & Shreyas Iyer

What to watch on Netflix: Shreyas Iyer and Rohit Sharma as guests on episode 2 of The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix.

(Contains spoilers)

Context is everything. For proof, look no further than episode 2 of The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix where guests Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer talk about cricket, cards, and cheerleading, among other things. To be sure, we see Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer quite often on our screens right now - given that we are in the middle of the 17th Indian Premier League (IPL). Apart from OTT (JioCinema), online (IPLTV) and TV (Star Sports), we see them on social media channels and read about them. Yet, something about seeing the players in casuals instead of team jerseys, and reacting to Kapil Sharma, who can be quite polarizing, offers a new context. And in this context of the new Kapil Sharma show for OTT, the conversation could centre on IPL, cheerleading, the 2023 ODI World Cup final that India lost by a whisker, and yet have a different pace and spin. One example is a gag in which Rohit, Shreyas and Kapil sport wraparound skirts to cheer for the cheerleaders. Indeed, Rohit and Shreyas dance enthusiastically to celebrate what has become a hallmark of the IPL. It's a small nod to a historic part of what makes the IPL, the IPL. To be sure, this is not to say that the new Kapil Sharma show doesn't have its cringe moments. But there's much to like.

Cricket stadium se seedha laughter stage pe aa gaye hai humare cool cricketers! Swagat nahi karoge?
Dekho naya episode of #TheGreatIndianKapilShow every Saturday, 8 pm only on Netflix pic.twitter.com/9JEDRV7p7X

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— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) April 6, 2024

Here are 6 reasons to watch the episode if you haven't already:

1. Revelations by Rohit Sharma

Asked which India cricketers Rohit Sharma would avoid sharing a room with, the India captain and Mumbai Indians great said team members get individual rooms. But if he were to answer the question hypothetically, he'd avoid sharing one with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan. The reason: they can be messy; leaving worn jerseys around the room and sleeping till 1 pm which may prevent housekeeping from cleaning the room - sometimes for days on end.

2. Shreyas Iyer's card trick

Shreyas Iyer performed a card trick for Kapil, correctly guessing the card Kapil Sharma had picked from a shuffled deck. It's a small party trick, but Shreyas does it with a showmanship that pulls you in.

3. Couple Dev's commentary

That Sunil Grover is good at mimicry (and comedy in general) is well-known. His take on Kapil Dev in this episode, however, is head-turning. Grover has Kapil Dev's mannerisms and speaking style down pat. It's one of the highlights of a gag that otherwise stretches too long.

4. Rohit Sharma's wife Ritika Sajdeh

Typically in the audience with her fingers crossed when Rohit Sharma bats, Ritika Sajdeh bats for team Rohit on the Netflix show as well. There was interesting banter with Kapil Sharma of course, but the thing that stays with you is the way she looks at Rohit Sharma when he gets emotional talking about the 2023 World Cup final loss to Australia.

5. Shreyas Iyer's enthusiasm, and Rohit Sharma's contrasting reserve

The Kapil Sharma show has a certain brand of humour that can veer towards the misogynistic and homophobic. None of that is unusual for this show - crossdressing still goes for a joke here. What's heartening, though, is the way the guests respond. Rohit Sharma looks positively uncomfortable. Kudos to him for recognising the problematic and resisting any pressure to laugh at it.

6. Kapil Sharma's shoutout to cricket commentary in Bhojpuri

Early in the episode, Kapil Sharma gives a shoutout to Bhojpuri cricket commentary in the IPL. Of course, he puts the Kapil Sharma stamp on it. But his review of how fun Bhojpuri commentary can be, is fun too. Sharma offers an example, too. Consider this: "Rohit Sharma zabardast khedelva... Ek over mein chaar chhakke mar ke pel diye... gadda udai diye." (Rohit Sharma's smashing the ball... Four sixes in a over, he's really kicking up the dust.)

It's fun, it's colourful and it's done in a way that's classic Kapil.