Scott Styris thrills dyslexic children in Chennai home with simple ball exercises

CHENNAI: Children at Madras Dyslexic Association’s Ananya Learning and Research Centre in

T Nagar

here were bubbling with excitement on Monday afternoon. After all, they got to meet former

New Zealand

allrounder Scott Styris in person.

Styris, who is commentating in the third edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League, spent almost half an hour with the children and showed them a few tricks with the ball. The 43-year-old also obliged by signing autographs and posed for photographs with the children.

Styris, who had donned the New Zealand jersey for almost a decade and was part of Chennai Super Kings, said it was his way of giving it back to the fans.

“It’s hard to do this kind of thing as a current player, especially in India because you have a lot of craze for cricketers here and things can get a bit chaotic. But it’s easier when we hang up our boots. So you see that Mike Hussey, Brad Hogg and I are having a really good time here as we did visit schools, learning schools like these and hospitals. Interacting with the kids is something we enjoy. It is our way of giving back to the fans,” Styris told TOI on Monday.

While the kids were entertained, Styris said the interaction might help some kids realise their dream.

“There is a takeaway for us as well. You know just throwing the ball around makes the kids excited. It’s a simple exercise but the kids are thrilled. So it’s a lot of fun for us. Also, probably, we inspire them a bit too. They might be dreaming to become a cricketer or anyone and seeing their heroes in person makes them realise that they can achieve their dream,” he said.