No boundaries for school as young cricket star joins team
A SCHOOL has welcomed one of India’s rising cricket stars as part of an international exchange programme it is leading.
Cheadle Hulme School has been joined by talented teenager Hashir Dafedar for its summer term.
Hashir plays for Mumbai under-16s and an academy run by former Indian test captain Dilip Vengsarkar -the only international batsman to have scored three test centuries at Lords.
The 15-year-old starlet says he has had to adjust to the different conditions and approach to the game in England.
He said: “It’s obviously colder here and that makes for a much slower wicket than I’m used to.
“It means you have more time and can play with greater power.
“English cricket is very different.
“There is a much more patient approach to the game than in India, where we play with more attack. “This is the first time I have been to Europe and it’s been great so far, I’m really enjoying it.”
Hashir is the fourth Indian cricketer to join the school on the exchange and will be joined by Mumbai U16’s Prithvi Shaw when the School take on Marylebone Cricket Club this month.
The exchange programme - launched by head of modern foreign languages John Wilson and former England Universities cricketer Dr Samir Pathak - introduces top young Indian cricketers to different playing conditions, educational systems and cultures.
Mr Wilson said: “It is an honour to welcome Hashir to Cheadle Hulme School.
“He is a superb ambassador for India and for cricket.
“Hashir and his team mates here at Cheadle Hulme School are learning from one another about the game and understanding its values and benefits.
“They are also engaging with new cultural contexts in an invaluable way.
“We are very grateful to the generous support network of host families and local business who have helped make his time here so successful.”
Teenage cricket star Hashir Dafedar has joined Cheadle Hulme School for the summer term.
Dr Pathak praised thee school’s programme. He added: “It is wonderful to see young, talented cricketers being given this opportunity.
“I am very grateful to Cheadle Hulme School for being the first British school to initiate the programme and move it from strength to strength.”