Karnataka scorer retires after a three-decade long career

Among Nagaraj's memories are asking Sachin Tendulkar for an autograph on his scoresheet after he was stumped against England in a Test match in Bengaluru.

KSCA scorer S.K. Nagaraj in action during his final match at the Alur grounds on Friday.

Veteran KSCA scorer S.K. Nagaraj retired from duty after Karnataka's Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Railways at the Alur grounds here on Friday.

It was an emotional end to a near three-decade long journey for the jovial 59-year-old. "I first began scoring as a young boy at Malleswaram Sports Club; when I got out early, I would start keeping score. It became a passion," he said.

Nagaraj's maiden first-class game was the Ranji Trophy clash between Karnataka and Hyderabad in 1991. "My hand was trembling that day. I had that same feeling again today," he smiled.

Among Nagaraj's memories are asking Sachin Tendulkar for an autograph on his scoresheet after he was stumped against England in a Test match in Bengaluru. "The was the first time Tendulkar was stumped in his Test career; Ashley Giles was bowling very negatively that day. Tendulkar told me he would sign my sheet when he was stumped again. That never happened for the rest of his career!"

A BESCOM employee, Nagaraj now hopes to train the younger generation of scorers. "I've also translated the laws of cricket into Kannada," he said.

"I've had a satisfying career. I've made mistakes but I've learnt from them."