Groomed to pitch on a higher plane

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He started his career in cricket when he was in the second standard, and today Hari Nishanth is making waves in the sport.

This tenth standard student of Ramakrishna Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Avarampalayam, has contributed to winning many district and state matches, including the combined district championship tournament in September 2011.

He is undoubtedly an all rounder in the sport.
His present coach was taken aback by Hari’s skill in the game and wanted to bring young Hari to Coimbatore for training. Hari spoke to this correspondent about his life-changing moment.

“I was actually living and training in Udumelpet before I moved to Coimbatore. My present coaches, A. G. Guruswamy and N. Saravana Kumar, liked my batting style, and knew that I could better myself in the sport. I was in the fourth standard when my dad was asked to move my family to Kovai, so I could pursue a career in the sport.”

He has taken part in numerous district and state tournaments, in various categories like under 14, under 16, including school and interschool matches and has scored 11 centuries overall.

The most recent match he took part in was a combined district match in September 2011. He was the opening batsmen, scoring 85 runs in the first match and a century in the second. He won the all rounder trophy for the match.

His life revolves around the sport, “I dedicate five hours every day for practice. In the morning I practice from six to eight and in the evening four to half past five,” he said.

Coach N. Saravanan had a few inspirational words for his young prodigy, “Whenever I teach him a new style in batting or bowling, he observes and bats in the style we teach him, which is something I really motivating for me as a coach.”

His dad has been his biggest motivation, Hari said. “I chose cricket because, when I was young, my dad wanted me to be a sportsman and he's a really big cricket fan. It was also because I knew I had the potential for the game, which were my reasons for pursuing the sport,” he said.

He shared his hopes for the future with us, “I want to play in the Ranji cup seniors category and also hopefully represent my country someday.

However, for now I have my hands full. Since I'm in the tenth standard, my public exams are around the corner, and I'm a bit upset because I will have to put my training on hold for a while,” he concluded.