The numbers game
Devendra Prabhudesai, a cricket enthusiast and expert on the statistics of the game finds reminders of the many highpoints of the sport popping up wherever he looks
Be it Sachin Tendulkar’s tonnes of runs in international cricket in 1998, Kapil Dev’s 175 runs against Zimbabwe in the World Cup, Don Bradman’s 974, a record aggregate runs in a Test series that may never be broken, or Team India coach Rahul Dravid’s date of birth (11-01), all figures have a cricket connotation for Devendra Prabhudesai. Especially if they’re on a licence plate!
Devendra has been a cricket fan all his life and was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work in his dream sector for over two decades. And soon, he developed an eye for number plates with a cricketing connection.
The penchant originated purely by chance. “I was at a traffic signal a few years ago, when I noticed the number plate of a taxi in front. It was 1074 and it reminded me of Anil Kumble’s 10-74 against Pakistan at Delhi in 199899. I quickly clicked a snap and later sent it to Anil himself. He replied with a smiley. Taking a snap whenever I noticed a ‘cricketing’ number plate soon became a hobby. Take 0434 for instance. That is the number of wickets Kapil Dev took in Tests. Or 8231 — David Gower’s Test aggregate. Or 9994, the Don’s batting average in Tests,” he says.
“Cricket is a sport that accords a lot of importance to numbers and statistics. People who genuinely love the sport do not have to consciously memorise the stats; it is an organic process. The more intently you follow the sport, read and talk about it, the deeper these numbers and stats embed themselves in your psyche. They say that you invariably find what you look for. In my case, looking around for ‘cricketing number plates’ wasn’t something I was doing consciously. I still don’t. It is just that these number plates end up presenting themselves in front of me,” shares Devendra.
The numbers are not always related to runs, totals, wickets and averages, of course. He also has images of numbers whose connection with cricket isn’t all that obvious. The number 8586, for instance, reminded him of the 1985-86 season, in which India came very close to winning a Test series in Australia for the first time. “I was recently thrilled to
DEVENDRA HAS BEEN A CRICKET FAN ALL HIS LIFE AND WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN HIS DREAM SECTOR FOR OVER TWO DECADES. AND SOON, HE DEVELOPED AN EYE FOR NUMBER PLATES WITH A CRICKETING CONNECTION.
see a number plate that read 774. It is the number of runs Mr. Gavaskar scored in his debut Test series,” he adds.
How difficult is it to capture images of number plates on moving cars, we ask. “I don’t violate traffic rules. I click only when the car is stationary,” he adds.