The Hyderabadis may have something to cheer about when New South Wales Blues plays in the final of the Champions League T-20 championship here on Friday. For a gentleman by name Dr. Gorur Harinath, who studied in Aliya School and did his medicine in Osmania Medical College, is now playing a key role in shaping the destiny of Australian cricket and not just his State team.
Well, NSW may have rich history of producing some of the greats of the game but Hyderabad has now its own link which has now become famous ‘Down Under’. For the gentleman, born and brought up in the city, moved over to Australia in 1977 for better prospects is now the all-powerful Chairman of Cricket New South Wales. A prestigious post which he has earned by the sheer weight of his contribution over the years.
“It all started after a chance encounter with former Pakistani cricketer Sadiq Mohammad. And my passion for the sport has taken me thus far,’ the originally Hyderabadi says.
Priceless moments
Interestingly, Harinath was a university cricketer who was a regular at the Lal Bahadur Stadium. And not surprisingly, the city and the game has changed a lot for the good. For someone who spent most of his youth in the bylanes of Tarnaka, he loves to come to the native place to see his 94-year-old mother G. K. Sayamma.
“For me when I met her the other day it was one of the priceless moments of this trip,” says the proud son.
Now when he looks back, Dr. Harinath is on cloud nine the way things have moved over the years.
“When I look back, it is a piece of history for me and to my family. It has been a truly fantastic experience to be associated with Australian cricket and NSW in particular,” he pointed out. He is also on the Board of Cricket Australia – the governing body of the sport there.
Spontaneous gesture
Like a true Hyderabadi, he spontaneously accepted a simple invitation to visit the Sports Coaching Foundation by K. Sai Baba on Thursday immediately after his team arrived for the Champions League final on Friday.
And true to his nature, the sporting gesture was spontaneous on spotting the young kids showing unbridled enthusiasm - as he donated Rs. 5,000 to the Foundation.
“I must say this is a fantastic job to maintain such a venue. I still remember this place which was like dumping yard when I used to go in the 70s to the Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital in Mehdipatnam,” says the doctor by profession.
Obliging officials
To the delight of the young trainees at the Foundation, David Gilbert, CEO of NSW, and another senior official Marshall Rosen obliged the autograph hunters, posed for photographs and even presented some souvenirs to the ‘lucky’ cricketers.
