He speaks softly. There are gentle pauses, thoughtful pauses. But there is, quite frankly, substance in every word. He doesn’t say a lot, probably because the wise ones let their work speak for themselves.
In a cricket loving country, but one that also opines and often, criticises instantly, perhaps it is the easiest to be a fan.
But what takes effort is to do something about the sport constructively whilst still being a fan.
This is where Kausthub Gudipati is different.
He comes from the land of VVS Laxman, a city where, if one were to think about it, the sun never sets given its much-loved IPL outfit.
But what makes Kausthub Gudipati, one of the ardent sons of Hyderabad (and actually, one of the most talented sons of India), is that he dives deep into the backbone of Cricket and concerns himself with intricacies without which we’d be left poorer.
What is life without figures? Ask the Math teacher, as also the one who creates envious ones inside the gymnasium as also the tireless entrepreneur.
But what makes Kausthub Gudipati brilliant , much like Laxman’s silky leg glance or Kohli’s enviable cover drive, is his devotion towards the game.
It is pure. It is unwavering. And here is this honest young mind’s story, which we at Caught At Point are proud to present:
Why you like numbers?
I love cricket statistics because well, they make the game deeper. Yet in an easy to understand way, and focussing on a key point. You know only the batting average and strike-rate is not enough in some situations.
For some situations it could be well and sufficient, but in some other situations, it would not be the only enough parameters. This is where I stress on specific information catering to specific circumstances. It’s all not just about analysis though. Sometimes, especially on Twitter, I use statistics to entertain my audience with fun and random trivia, rather than focussing only on the serious side of analytics.
This is where I feel statistics are not just a serious part of sport analysis, but can also be used to entertain the audience with some surprising facts and interesting coincidences that you might never expect even if you followed the whole match. Just an unconventional way to engage with your funny bone!
The spin-off version of anything can be fun, isn’t.
How did you get interested in cricket?
My fascination with cricket started right from childhood, and the fascination with numbers also started right from childhood. Noting the scores of every ball on a paper or book and some random observations in a diary exclusive for cricket used to be an interest since my childhood. I also knew what is Statsguru, but never shown interest on how would it be helpful to me or to learn how to operate it. It was only about six years ago that I learnt how to use statsguru properly. Before that I used to rather use tools such as records page in ESPNCricinfo and Howstat.
More recently, I began to use Python to find stats, and I am aiming to build my cricket database, through some external tools. Somehow, finding patterns in numbers excites me more than anything else, most of the time.
Hence, I decided to work in this field that combines cricket and numbers beautifully.
What you like most about cricket?
The fact that cricket involves both individual and team work, is unique to a sport. This very well resonates with real life. While your performance is important, it can all go in vein if you do not get any support from the other end.
When you step onto the field, all the action is focussed towards you. The feeling when a clear six is hit is just something else.
First the beautiful sound of the bat when hit cleanly, then beautifully travelling through the clear sky and then landing into the hands of a lucky fan, and making their day.
However, we know cricket is not just a game of sixes and fours. Sometimes its about ones and twos, while sometimes its also about just defending or leaving. This teaches a very important lesson in life that some moments are to be capitalized and grabbed fiercy with both hands, some other moments are to be tackled with caution and played responsibly, and some other moments are to be left alone.
Cricket on an overall basis, resonates life very much. As we know, life is not always the same for everyone, similarly cricket is also not the same for everyone. Different scenarios of life can be understood through different formats of cricket. The way how just a bat and ball helps to understand life in a minimalistic way is amazing.
Apart from the life lessons, cricket also involves lots of nuance and subtlety. Just one game of cricket has so much for you. You can play it, watch as a fan and socialize due to it.
One can also analyse it or even be involved in streaming it. Among these many options that the sport delivers, I chose to provide stats, because this aspect of cricket aligns with my love for numbers. Cricket has everything to make one remain glued to it and enjoy it.
How did you get interested in the sport?
Like the story of any kid, especially in the 90s, cricket runs within the household.
I got to first watch cricket with my family at about five years old. There have been several reasons that made me like cricket, that I already mentioned in the previous question. These are the factors which also made me naturally engrossed in cricket. This means that I automatically got attracted to cricket, without specifically first thinking about benefits and then choosing to follow it. Along with the beauty of the game itself, the lessons it teaches and the diverse roles it offers; I find those interesting because the score keeps changing in cricket.
This, in turn, keeps me even more engrossed, and there’s a clear sign of change nearly every moment – unlike some sports where the score hardly changes throughout the game.
This is where I also feel cricket is unique. And my love for numbers makes it a perfect match to enjoy a sport where the scores keep changing.
Also, the fact that you can find various kind of records in so many aspects of the game. So a number lover with an interest in cricket, can never feel any format of cricket long, because its also diverse and totally engrossing. There are several reasons why I love cricket, and the best part of it is that I don’t force myself to love it, I instantly fall into love for cricket, and only later realize why I’m loving it.
Any early recollections on what made you forge a bond with this great game of ours?
Ever since I was a child, I kept writing diaries regarding my observations of different matches in our beautiful game. The writing of notes gradually evolved to an interest in writing articles on various pages. I never used to think of money at the earlier stages (though I think sometimes now due to the age & responsibility pressures), but only a platform to jot down my thoughts somewhere.
Whether it’s through tweets, articles on websites, articles on my personal blog or writing notes in my own diary – it’s just to have a platform to express whatever I observe in the game. I was initially elated after I first noticed that sportskeeda has a facility where I can write articles for free. I kept writing articles for them, although very few of them were actually being accepted.
Primarily, I focussed on stats of every game after the match was done, and used to compile them for an article on Sportskeeda. These are the very nascent days, while I got an opportunity to write stats articles for cricxtasy and crictracker later. Here the interactions were more direct, rather than being open to everyone with very few interactions.
However, everything was beneficial to me in terms of my professional journey with cricket. I’m happy that I can serve of help to websites in my profession.
You can- and must- follow Kausthub Gudipati at @kaustats on Mr Elon Musk’s X
