It has been a lifelong love affair with sports because I was actively involved in athletics, cricket and basketball during my school days. But it was cricket which captured my imagination.
The thrill, of course, was going to watch Test cricket. My Principal at Campion made it clear that you didn’t have to lie but only had to tell them when you wanted to go and watch cricket. I was there for the first match played at the Wankhede Stadium between India and West Indies in 1975. Clive Lloyd got dropped by Bishan Singh Bedi off a return catch when he was only on eight or 10 runs before he went on to score almost 240 (242*) runs and they beat the daylights out of us.
Through photography, I have got to know most of the Indian cricketers well over the years. I happened to shoot Sachin Tendulkar’s first or second TV commercial for Bata Power some 25 years back and we have remained friends ever since.
I, also, got into watching the English Premier League long before it was cool to follow football. Right now, you see a disproportionate number of people who have to pretend to be fans because it’s the cool thing to do.
I have been following Arsenal football club since the early 2000s. Pretty much every single year, I have flown to London to watch a game or two.
Whenever I have been to either the Highbury or the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal has never lost! I think the club should make sure they fly me out to London when there is a crucial match.
As told to Aashin Prasad
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