Former India cricket team captain Anil Kumble was known to be passionate about photography, so much so that he frequently carried his camera with him to matches and tours. This passion has passed on to his son, Mayas Kumble. A wildlife enthusiast, Mayas released his coffee table book on photography titled, ‘Safari Saga: Wild Encounters Of A Young Photographer’, at an event here on Tuesday. The event was attended by his parents Anil and Chethana, former India cricketer V.V.S. Laxman and professional wildlife photographer Jayanth Sharma. Mr. Laxman spoke about Mr. Anil’s fascination with taking pictures during their playing careers. “On every cricket tour, batsmen wanted to carry a better bat with them, while Anil wanted to carry a better camera.
Some of my most memorable pictures were taken by Anil, ”Mr. Laxman, the director of cricket at the National Cricket Academy, said. Mr. Anil explained that he followed some superstitions when behind the lens. “I think I may have played a part in a couple of my India teammates getting out in the 90s. There have been occasions when batsmen have gotten out in the 90s, just as I picked up my camera to take pictures of them celebrating getting a hundred. Ever since then, I took pictures only after they completed their centuries. One memorable picture that I took was of Sachin Tendulkar celebrating his 35th Test century, at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, with the huge manual scoreboard in the background,” Mr. Anil said, referring to the knock where Tendulkar surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s record as the player with the most Test centuries.
Teenager Mayas recalled that his interest in photography was sparked in 2017, on a visit to Ranthambore National Park with his family. “We would visit national parks on our family holidays. Dad gave me his camera, and it unlocked a whole new world,” Mayas said.
The editorial content of the book was curated by senior cricket journalist R. Kaushik.
