This man used to calculate grocery at the shop, now IPL scorer
A daily wage earner in a grocery store will be present as a scorekeeper during the IPL to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this year.
Suryakant of Bengal became electronic scorer of IPL
This daily wage earner will be scorekeeper in UAE
A daily wage earner in a grocery store will be present as a scorekeeper during the IPL to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this year. He will not only fly for the first time, but will also step into the airport for the first time in his life. For Suryakant Panda, a resident of Chinsura (Hooghly) in West Bengal, this is nothing short of a dream come true. Suryakant, the son of a cook (cook), has only studied till 10th, who had migrated from Odisha to Bengal in search of work decades ago.
32-year-old Suryakant is the only person selected from West Bengal as the IPL electronic scorer. He always dreamed of becoming a cricketer, but his dream of becoming a cricketer remained incomplete by moving from Odisha to West Bengal. He started working in a grocery store while his father worked as a cook. During 2002-2003, he played a few matches at the ground of Hooghly District Sports Association, but could not continue. However, Suryakant always wanted to be associated with cricket. For this reason, he chose the way to be a scorer for himself.
He said, ‘I wanted to be a cricketer, but many family problems came in my way. I always wanted to stay connected with the game and so chose the scoring path. I joined the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) exam related to it in 2015 and passed.
Having lost both his parents, Suryakant continued to love cricket even while working in the grocery store. He started scoring in the Hooghly District Sports Association. After passing the CAB examination in 2015, he was selected as the scorer and then became the scorer of most matches organized by the CAB.
Constant effort and determination earned Suryakant the best scorer award in 2018. CAB secretary Avishek Dalmia rewarded him. Suryakant Panda attributes all his achievements to mentor Kaushik Saha and Raktim Sadhu. Raktim Sadhu says, ‘It is a matter of great pride for me. He is very interested in learning and teaching. I have high hopes from him.
Suryakant Buhat was happy after being selected as the IPL scorer in 2020, but he was also worried about whether the owner of the grocery store would discharge him. However, Vishwanath Sadukhan, who runs the shop, supported him a lot. Vishwanath himself wanted to become a footballer, but had to manage a shop after his father’s illness. Therefore, he understood the importance of sports in Suryakant’s life.
He said, ‘I wanted to be a footballer, but that didn’t happen. When he (Surya) told me that he has been elected to the IPL, I was very happy. I never see him as my employee, he is like a brother or friend to me.
Vikas Mallik, joint secretary of Hooghly District Sports Association said, “The entire Hooghly Sports Association is proud of their achievement. He has reached here through his own hard work. I will be more happy when he passes the BCCI exam. Many others can also be inspired by seeing him.
Suryakant Panda will fly to Bengaluru on August 19 and then to Dubai on August 27. During the IPL, the scores of every veteran cricketer and the wickets of the teams will appear on the electronic score board through Suryakant. The IPL will be played from September 19 to November 10.
When asked what he wants to do first by reaching Dubai, he said, ‘I will focus on understanding the scoring system properly. I want to focus on scoring because it is my job. Only after the match is over can I think of taking autographs of the players. Suryakant now wants to do this work for national teams by passing the BCCI exam.
