A Love for Cricket that Defies ‘Bad’ Weather

The winning image conveys an enthusiasm and love for cricket amongst the people of India. Photograph/S L Shanthkumar

“As with quite a few international matches, this match, too, was called off due to rains soon after I made the photograph.”—S L Shanthkumar

Chennai-based photojournalist, S L Shanthkumar won the Wisden-MCC Photo of the Year 2011, a contest that is aimed at finding the best cricket photograph of the year. Shanthkumar’s image, which shows a group of children enjoying a game of cricket on the Marina Beach in Chennai, will be featured in the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.
“Watching these youngsters playing despite the overcast conditions really impressed me. It made me realise the love for cricket that exists in India,” says Shanthkumar. According to Shanthkumar, beach cricket is a tradition in Chennai, and the weather conditions do not hamper the spirit. “It was a cloudy afternoon and the previous night, there had been heavy rain that had caused the road to the beach to be flooded. When I found these young enthusiasts playing despite the weather, I wanted to use the dramatic setting to convey their love for the sport.”
Shanthkumar, who won the Better Photography Photographer of the Year 2011 award in February, jokes, “As with quite a few international matches, this match, too, was called off due to rains soon after I made the photograph.”

— Written by Aditya Nair

This article originally appeared in the June 2011 issue of Better Photography.