Bengal: A daily wage worker in a local grocery shop will become a scorekeeper in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in Dubai. Believe it or not, this will also be his first ever visit to the airport ever in his life.
For 32-year-old Suryakant Panda, a resident of Chinsurah in Hooghly district of West Bengal, it is a dream come true. Studied upto 10th standard, Suryakant is son of a cook who had migrated from Odisha to Bengal decades ago for livelihood in Bengal.
Suryakant will be the selected one from West Bengal to travel to Dubai as IPL’s electronic scorer. He had always dreamt of becoming a cricketer but when he had to move to West Bengal, all his dreams of becoming a cricketer were shattered.
He started working in a grocery store while his father worked as a cook. During 2002-2003, he played a few matches on the grounds of the Hooghly District Sports Association but could not continue. However, Suryakant always wanted to stay connected to cricket. Thus, he chose the route of a scorer for himself.
Speaking exclusively to India Today Television he said, “I have always wanted to be a cricketer but due to several family problems, I could not. However, I always wanted to stay connected to the game and hence decided to take the scoring route. I took an exam in CAB in 2015 and passed it.”
Suryakant’s love for the sport
After losing both his parents he has been working as a local daily apprentice in a grocery shop however his love for cricket kept him associated as a local boy to keep score in Hooghly District Sports Association.
However, due to constraints, he could not continue regularly. It was in 2015 that he passed the Cricket Association of Bengal exams for being selected as a scorer and then became the scorer in most of the matches conducted by CAB. His persistent effort and determination fetched him the best scorer award in 2018, which was presented to him by CAB Secretary Avhishek Dalmia.
Matter of huge pride: Suyrakant’s mentors open up
Suryakant Panda attributes all his achievements to his mentors Kaushik Saha and Raktim Sadhu. Raktim Sadhu, his proud mentor said, “This is a matter of huge pride to me.He is a very focused person who is extremely interested in learning and teaching. He has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I have high hopes for him and I am so proud of him.”
Very happy for Suryakant: Grocery store owner
When he got selected to be IPL’s scorer in 2020, he was elated but he was also worried whether his employer at the grocery store would approve of his leave or not.
However, his employer Biswanath Sadhukhan was extremely supportive of him. He, himself, wanted to be a footballer one day but had to take over the shop after his father’s illness. Hence, he understood the importance of sports in Suryakant’s life.
He said, “I wanted to be a footballer someday but somehow that didn’t happen. When he informed me that he got selected for IPL, I was very happy for him and told him I always got his back. I never see him as my employee, he is like a brother/friend to me. We go on trips together and eat together. I sometimes go on trips and leave the shop to him. That is the amount of trust I have for him. He is almost like my family member.”
The joint secretary of the Hooghly District Sports Association, Bikash Mallick said, “I am so happy and proud of him on behalf of the entire Hooghly Sports Association. He has risen to this position all by his own credit.He grew up right in front of me walking those grounds. I would be very happy if he passes the BCCI exam. Seeing him, many others might also get inspired and I would love to see that.”
‘Want to concentrate on scoring, aim is to take the BCCI exams’
Panda will first fly to Bengaluru on August 19 and then to Dubai on August 27. The scores of every veteran cricketer and with the wickets of the teams will appear on the electronic scoreboard through Suryakant.
When asked about what he wants to do when he gets to Dubai, he said, “My first job when I reach there is not to take autographs of players but is to understand the scoring system properly. I want to concentrate on scoring properly because that’s my job. Then, after the match is over, I can think about taking the player’s autographs, etc. But, my first priority is to do my job.
Suryakant is extremely determined to do his job properly and rise in his career. His next aim is to take the BCCI exams and keep score for the national teams in years to come.
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