He’s a world-renowned cricket commentator but Bharat Sundaresan has developed a love for another Australian sport - and team.
Growing up in Mumbai, India, as a cricket-mad youngster, Sundaresan wasn’t aware Australian Rules football existed, but a visit to Adelaide in 2017 ignited a passion for the game.
Although his first live game experience was at the 2017 SANFL Grand Final, the first piece of footy memorabilia he bought was Crows centric.
“I think it was love at first sight with footy,” Sundaresan said.
“I watched my first footy game (on TV) in 2017 - it happened to be in September and when the Adelaide Crows made the Grand Final - the feeling around town was great and I just fell in with it.
“Then I went and watched a SANFL Grand Final that year when Sturt beat Port by one point - that was my first ever live footy game.
“But I remember the first footy I bought from a sports store was an Adelaide Crows footy, it looked cool, and I remember taking it back on one of my visits to India and feeling very proud of my purchase.”
Sundaresan spoke exclusively to AFC Media ahead of the AFL’s Cultural Heritage Series, which has the Crows slated to face GWS at Adelaide Oval this Saturday.
The Australian correspondent and senior writer for Cricbuzz migrated to SA in 2018, in unwavering support of his wife, Isha, who was studying in SA.
He said the transition into the Australian way of life had been seamless.
“I think all of Australia is (accepting of other cultures), but I fell in love with Adelaide and I guess it was mutual,” Sundaresan said.
“This goes back to the first time I came here back in 2014 as a cricket journalist from India, something about the place just resonated with me, which is why when my wife was moving here, I was very keen, I felt like we could make a future for ourselves in this beautiful city.
“Adelaide is one of the best cities I had ever visited - I thought that before I moved here - it just felt like home, it just felt like we belonged.
“There are so many people moving into Adelaide on a monthly basis from all over the world, and when it comes to football, you want to be part of a Club that represents your city.
“I think that’s where the Crows have an advantage.”
Sundaresan developed a strong connection to Adelaide Oval before migrating from India, with it being the first Australian cricket stadium he walked into.
“It just has that warm, fuzzy feeling every time you go there - in fact even when you’re just flying in and you look out the (plane) window from the left hand side and you get the view - for me, it’s just a reminder of being back home,” he said.
“You go to the MCG in particular, and you do get a bit overwhelmed, it’s a colossal ground, it’s such a massive stadium and arena. Adelaide Oval, despite an arena in its own right, it’s still a ground and it just feels like there are no bad advantage points, wherever you sit.
“Even if you are in the nosebleed section in the Riverbank Stand, you still get a great view of not just the ground, but the modern fig trees and you can also see the Cathedral from wherever you sit.
“It feels like a true reflection of Adelaide the city - it’s state-of-the-art but has never lost its connection with the past, which for me, adds to the charm of both Adelaide and the oval.”
The AFL’s 2025 Cultural Heritage Series will run across nine matches and is aimed at celebrating cultural diversity.
Sundaresan said Australian Rules football was becoming more accessible for migrants and hoped to see more people from different cultural backgrounds immersed in the game.
“It’s a window into Australian society, it definitely has been for me,” Sundaresan said.
“I think it’s (footy) is as Australian as cooking on the barbecue or just saying ‘g’day mate’ - it should be introduced as part of that - you feel a lot more Australian in every way once you understand footy and start watching it.
“That old cliche of ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ stands very true when it comes to footy becoming more accessible… I am fully appreciating my role this year with the AFL in aiding them on that path.
“I think more than anything, just the education and the awareness around the sport needs to grow a lot more.”
Sundaresan will be at Adelaide’s match against GWS and revealed who he was most looking forward to watching.
“After my visit to Crows HQ before the start of this season, I became quite friendly with Tex Walker, I bumped into him at the Sheffield Shield final as well,” he said.
“I think it’s difficult to go past a player like Izak Rankine because of the skills he has, but my favourite player of the current crop is Darcy Fogarty.”
Adelaide hosts GWS at Adelaide Oval on Saturday at 3.45pm.
Tickets available here.
