testmeat photoblog

when i posted my last photo from india i referenced how football culture wasn't as big a thing in this country. it's still a universal sport and i've seen plenty of kids playing it, but unsurprisingly i've seen far more playing cricket. it's a huge part of life over here, which was only enhanced by the fact that india were hosting the cricket world cup when i arrived in the country. i'm not really a fan of the sport myself, largely because i don't fully understand all of the rules and i don't really have a strong desire to learn and get into it. despite this indifference it was impossible not to feel the buzz that swept the country as india went on an unbeaten streak which took them all the way to the final. the semi final was hosted in mumbai, and i was engulfed in a throng of supporters on their way to the ground when i got off a train after a morning exploring the city. it felt like diwali part deux later that night when they defeated new zealand and let off fireworks in excited celebration. everyone i spoke with were supremely confident that it was their destiny to bring home the title in their home tournament, which took me back to the scars i still bear from england’s defeat in the euros final at wembley a couple of years ago. and so it came to pass that india faltered on the final stretch against an inspired australia and everyone was reminded that sport rarely delivers those fairytale endings. in another quirk of a sport i don't really understand the two teams went on to play each other again five days later in a different tournament, this time with india coming out on top. i'm sure it didn't make up for their world cup final defeat, but that's another pull of following sports, there's always the next match and with it a fresh opportunity for success.

here's another shot taken at closer distance with a wider focal length