SYDNEY: From a distance Krishna Kumar's side profile resembles former India football team captain Prasun Banerjee. Quietly standing in one corner and waiting for the Indian cricket team to start training, he didn't look like a selfie hunter.
He sat on a small makeshift gallery created at a handshaking distance from the Sydney nets where Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik were having their hit.
The man in question is Karthik's father, who has come to watch his son play the role of a finisher for Team India in the T20 World Cup.
Karthik is the oldest and most senior player (debut 2004) in this set-up, and in all likelihood, playing his last marquee ICC event.
Krishna Kumar didn't seem to be looking at any particular batter. Once he switched on the photo app of his mobile camera, he was told not to use it as it is considered a breach of rule.
After they have identified that he is Karthik's father, journalists started chasing the reticent man, who spoke to multiple Youtube channels about his son's second coming.
Karthik is one cricketer whose parents have been around whenever he played for India.
His mother Padmini was a regular feature when Karthik was playing Test cricket for India under Rahul Dravid's leadership.
However, his father didn't get to watch Sunday's humdinger against Pakistan in Melbourne, as he was travelling.
Krishna Kumar has worked for a long time in Kuwait, where Karthik had his initial years of schooling.
Youtubers in a fix
Digital content's popularity is for real, and one would be astounded to see their reach with some of their fans even bringing Indian meals, so that they don't have to spend from their own pockets.
Most of them self-fund their trips and try to generate content, mainly through the footage procured on non-match training days of the Indian team.
However, this time the ICC has clearly stated that no video or still footage can be taken even at practice sessions, which wasn't followed till Melbourne.
Cricket youtubers' source of sustenance is India practice footage and the action sequence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or Rishabh Pant's batting.
The footage gets them millions of views and the earnings aren't bad.
"Both ICC and host broadcasters Star Sports have understood the commercial potential even on non-match days. If you are paying a bomb for rights, the organizer will have to do something to protect rights. Hence I don't see ICC or Star being wrong," a senior BCCI official, who knows a thing or two about digital rights, told PTI.
"Not being allowed to shoot will certainly pose problems for us and India footage is very important. It was a rule during COVID but don't know why it's being applied now," noted youtuber Sandipan Banerjee, who follows the national team on most tours, said.
