Cricketer, doctor and a father

Daniel Harris will be making his first IPL appearance this year for the Deccan Chargers. Not many know that the dashing batsman is also a professional doctor.

“I watched the first four seasons of IPL and I really wanted to be involved this season,” he says.

The player feels at home, playing for the Chargers. “The team is fantastic, I already feel at home. I met a lot of Indian players who are very approachable. We need to bond well to perform well. For now, we are getting to spend a lot of time together,” he says adding, “The presence of Australian players such as Cameron and Darren will help in understanding the team better.”

About being a professional doctor, he shares, “When I was studying medicine, I was playing a good amount of cricket. But I had to concentrate for six years on medicine and once I finished studying medicine, I did one year of internship and later I continued to focus on cricket. I try to focus on playing as much good cricket as I can and once I am done with cricket, I will surely get back to the hospital and continue what I studied.”

When asked if his teammates treat him like a doctor and seek his medical help, he laughs, “Yes, they do come in for suggestions if they have a cold or cough, knee or shoulder pain. In Australia, they keep asking me for a prescription here and there. I keep getting a lot of health related questions from teammates.”

The sportsman is also a father of two. He says, “I have two children, my son is one year old and I hope he plays cricket too, I keep teaching him cricket and hope he hits the ball like Pollard. I keep talking to my other three-year-old and my wife on Skype and try to keep in touch as much as I can.”