The iconic shot that captured the Madras tie

81 All Out - A Cricket Podcast

In this special episode of the 81allout podcast, we chat with the photographer Mala Mukerjee on her historic photo from the tied Test in Madras in 1986.

Ms Mukerjee watched the last day of that famous Test from the stands in Chepauk and, while anticipating a thrilling finish, clicked a number of photos that captured the dramatic finish. The most famous of those was the shot she clicked at the very end of the match.

Ms Mukerjee has gone on to become an internationally renowned photographer and has held several exhibitions around the world. Her many accolades and awards include honors from the Photographic Resource Centre in Boston, the Academy of Visual Media in New Delhi, and the Bangladesh Photographic Society.

You can view her work here.

Talking points:

Memories of the final day from Chepauk in 1986

The circumstances that helped her be at the right place at the right time

The tension enveloping the ground in the final overs

The challenges posed by the fading light

The final ball and the historic click

A visit from N Ram, the editor of The Hindu

The Hindu front page the next day

The blatant copyright infringement that the photograph has suffered

The luck and skill involved in cricket photography

Participants:

Mala Mukerjee

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@Sidvee)

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Related:

When a tie was a victory for Border's battlers - 81allout podcast with Michael Sexton

Scorecards of the tied Test – Chennai ’86

Madras Magic – a documentary on the Chennai tied Test

Martin Smith on how the tied Test ended the career of Vikram Raju

Arunabha Sengupta on the dramatic last day of the Madras Test

Dean Jones and the second tied Test at the Bradman Museum