P Hariharan, the 14-year-old from Chennai, has bowled his team, Asiatic Cricket Academy, to two successive victories in the Golden Wind-Promax Colts U-15 tournament. And how? With an amputated left arm and two deformed fingers on right hand.
2. P Hariharan, the 14-year-old from Chennai,
has bowled his team, Asiatic Cricket
Academy, to two successive victories in
the Golden Wind-Promax Colts U-15
tournament. And how? With an amputated
left arm and two deformed fingers on right
hand.
3. Hariharan's left arm had to be amputated
after a medical negligence left him with
gangrene.
But the desire to become a cricketer has
seen him emerge as the main spinner of his
team. With no left arm to support his
action, he uses his right shoulder to
generate the thrust while releasing the ball.
Negligence turned tragic
4. While a disability like this can make a player
a liability on the field, Hariharan, in fact, is
far from that. He dives around and stops
the ball without fumbling.
"I don't fear the ball, and while playing
cricket I feel like any other player and I
don't think about my disability."
Asset, not a liability
5. When Hariharan showed a keen interest in
the game, his parents never discouraged
him from pursuing his dreams.
Support of parents
6. But it was not easy for Hariharan as many
academies were not willing to let him in
because of his disability until he found a
supporting mentor in R Chandrasekhar.
"While others thought Hariharan could not
play normal cricket, I saw a spark in this guy.
Initially, he wanted to do wicket keeping, but
then I told him to switch to leg-spin because
that would suit him more with his ailment."
-- R Chandrasekhar
Finding his mentor
7. The Chennai lad is keen on excelling in
regular club-level cricket and is dreaming
big.
"I want to play for Tamil Nadu in Ranji
Trophy one day."
Aspirations
