Kousik Saha

He was a collector of neck-ties. At the same time he tied people into friendships. He was a bachelor, but was married to cricket. He would keep scores and statistics but his life was all melody.

Kousik crossed the Ganges tributary of River Hooghly and swam into my life. He brought with him a whiff of Dutch influence from his home-town Chinsurah. Impeccably attired, forever smiling, his punctuality and dedication to his chosen profession were lessons to imbibe. Cool, capable and composed he was a role-model to follow.

Our first meeting was at the iconic Eden Gardens way back in the mid 1990s. I happened to be handling the Under 16 Bengal hopefuls while he was designated by BCCI to be the official scorer of the match. Since then for more than 25 years he was the premier scorer from eastern India. How many Tests, internationals, and first-class matches Kousik has ‘scored’ would be mind-boggling to note.  Best would be to ask his protégé Sanjoy Dutta for the exact statistics.

As is the habit of most grey-beards, I remember telling the young scorer who came to me and self-introduced himself, “Well, I hope you understand the value of a scorer. A scorer is the original historian: he records all the details of a match from the first ball to the last. If you make a single mistake the facts of the match would alter and cricket history would change.”

I need not have told him anything at all. At the end of the 1^st day itself the young scorer Kousik gave me every indication of a sincere man full of innovation and enterprise. Apart from doing his very responsible BCCI job, he gave me a few sheets of paper with very relevant statistics relating to my Bengal team. I was astounded by his approach. Never before had I seen any scorer going beyond his duty to this extent.

In time the friendship strengthened. He kept giving me songs in a pen-drive by thousands. He kept me busy with unending supply of notes and stats to ease my job. In effect he was the man I looked up to the most. Although at least 20 years junior to me, I kept my ears and eyes open whenever Kousik was around. I can say with utmost sincerity that Kousik taught me the magic of statistics and how to derive benefit from it.

Once when I was upset with the late arrival at a match of a young player from a nearby district, Kousik called me aside, “Sir, there is a ‘rail-roko’ on. Samrat is probably held up on the way.” Samrat did reach the ground before the toss and played a dream innings. This is the kind of person Kousik was. Forever helpful but never seeking any credit.

Kousik began with pencils and erasers. In time he introduced coloured pens of varying hues. Then when the opportune moment came he was fully into digital systems of scoring. Nothing seemed to be a problem with him. No one ever heard Kousik complaining. No matter the poor facilities; no matter the awkward view of the ground; no matter the callousness of officials. Nothing ever perturbed this superlative scorer. He was the ‘go to’ man for any problems for scorers. He would help without ever thinking of getting anything in return.

Whether International matches or IPL encounters Kousik was an automatic choice as DLS manager. He had figures on his finger-tips. A magician on the computer. Despite hundreds of Tests and international appearances, to Kousik even an ordinary club match would evoke equal attention. Never believed in any casual, relaxed approach. Taught the art of scoring to whoever approached him for help and with queries. An absolute gem of a person, my dear friend Kousik was.

 Once when two young BCCI umpires were being misled by a former Bengal cricketer (Junior Bengal coach at the time) regarding the concept of a tie-match in an inter-state competition, scorer Kousik called me from the ground mentioning the mistake that was about to be perpetrated. Kept Kousik’s request and called to inform my match-referee colleague of the correct decision. Without Kousik’s intervention on time, can you imagine the uproar that would have occurred around the country?

Kousik hardly ever wore ties but he had a fabulous collection. Gave him some and promised him many more in time to come. He did not give me the time. Left us suddenly about two years back leaving me with a deep sense of regret.

Kousik, you were a pioneer in many respects. Excellent talents followed you to the scorers’ table from Bengal, particularly Gautam, Raktim, Bishwajit, Sanjoy and Ananda. You and your five peer-musketeers brought about a silent revolution in the art of scoring in Bengal. We shall always remember the yeoman service of these pioneers.

There was a time when only a handful of reliable scorers were available at Calcutta club circles. Many did not know even the basics. Thankfully today we have outstanding scorers at every level in Bengal, thanks to the coaching sessions at CAB.

Pioneer Kousik, you were the initiator of this fantastic transformation. Your contribution to Bengal cricket will never be forgotten. God will always be with you.