“I have neither wife nor children, cricket is my family” - DDCA manual scorer Pradeep Kumar on Ep.2 of Dream Big Stories
In an era of electronic scoreboards and hi-tech stat analysis, the thought of persisting with manual scoring tools sounds rather out of place, unless you are Pradeep Kumar!
Among the rare breeds who are keeping the flag of the manual scoring system alive, Pradeep is the manual scoreboard operator at the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). He describes himself as the “master of manual scoring” and perhaps the last of his ilk.
He spoke about his passion in depth in Episode 2 of Dream Big Stories, a project by SK Brand Studio powered by Dream11. Introducing himself, Pradeep said with child-like enthusiasm:
“I am not an ordinary scorer. I am a master of manual scoring. Maybe, I am the last manual scorer of my generation because nobody uses manual scoring in a world of technology.”
Pradeep fell in love with cricket more than three decades ago when his friends introduced him to the gentleman’s game. He recalled:
“Two friends showed me a cricket match. It was my first match, I liked it. I had a dream to connect with this game anyhow. And I turned that dream into my life.”
Asked how he took up manual scoring, Pradeep revealed that he was first an umpire and then became a scorer. He added that, having fallen in love with the game, he wanted to be associated with it very deeply. Sharing his emotions regarding cricket, Pradeep said:
“I love only cricket. I have neither wife nor children, cricket is my family. I raise cricket and it raises me. Cricket will be with me until my last breath. A match shouldn’t stop if the internet stops or the server doesn’t work. So, a manual scorer is very important. I can’t fall asleep until I come here. This is where my soul resides. I pass my time only at DDCA.”
Pradeep added that he wants to continue with this passion of his for as long as he can.
“He said he would never forget me for this favor” - Pradeep Kumar shares interesting anecdote about his interaction with Tendulkar
Having been part of the DDCA for so many years, Pradeep Kumar has witnessed the rise of star Delhi cricketers like Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma.
According to DDCA member Pravin Kumar Soni, whenever Virat or Ishant meet him, they address him as “Deepa sir”.
The man himself fondly remembers an interaction with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. Going down memory lane, he recalled:
“When Sachin Tendulkar came to Delhi for the first time to play in the Ranji Trophy, he couldn’t exit as the media had surrounded him. I showed him the exit. He likes me since. He said that he would never forget me for this favor.”
People like Pradeep Kumar are shining examples of the belief that, when it comes to following your passion, age is just a number, a ‘score’ in this case!
Also Read: “To teach slum kids how to play cricket was not an idea, it was a dream” - Slum Cricket League founder Rajesh Pundir on Ep.1 of Dream Big Stories