Shot selection

Can anyone pull off a white jacket (other than Travolta and MJ)?

India and Kohli tried in 2013, and it wasn't pretty

Philip Brown
Philip Brown
04-Jun-2017
The day disco died: Virat Kohli arranges his limbs in a way to resemble dancing  •  Philip Brown

The day disco died: Virat Kohli arranges his limbs in a way to resemble dancing  •  Philip Brown

Maybe it is just me but I can't remember much about the last Champions Trophy, in 2013. I was working for Reuters and shot every match. Well, almost every match. I missed one as I was asked to cover a Shane Warne charity game where Liz Hurley acted as an umpire for part of it. For the record, she seemed really lovely.
Anyway, my only vivid memory of the Champions Trophy competition is that the winners, India, who kind of came from behind in the final to defeat England at Edgbaston, wore white jackets as they were presented with the trophy.
Most sports fans remember Liverpool turning up for an FA Cup final in white suits. You've got to be uber cool to pull off the white outfit. Not many can. John Travolta is the most successful wearer of a white outfit in history. In Saturday Night Fever (1977), he wore a white polyester suit, which was sold at an auction for US$145,000. Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson had a go at the white suit (not the same one, I hasten to add) and in my opinion got away with it. Author Tom Wolfe had a shot too.
Late in the evening of June 23, 2013, the Indian team put on the white jackets after their victory. Ishant Sharma, what were you thinking? MS Dhoni, I expect so much more of you.
Virat Kohli, what can I say? You not only slipped on the white jacket, but you threw some shapes to the delight of your team-mates. This really should have led to at least a six-match ban. Excessive appealing, betting and ball-tampering are one thing, but dancing in an inappropriate outfit, to me, is completely disgraceful.
I really don't want to see it again after this year's final on June 18.
This isn't even one of my favourite photographs - just a record of a very troubled time.
Nikon D4 camera 1/500th 600ASA f4 Nikkor 24-70mm at 58mm

An Australian freelance cricket photographer based in England, Philip Brown has photographed over 200 Test matches around the world