NEW DELHI: Raman Sharma vividly remembers Christmas of 2018, when his 11-year-old son Aryan spent the entire day making a placard for his idol,
Virat Kohli, ahead of the Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The placard read: "Virat, you're my inspiration. Watch me play for Australia in 2025."
Aryan Sharma manifested it, and now, seven years later, he is among the 15 players named in Australia’s squad for the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup, to be held in Namibia and Zimbabwe from January 15 to February 6. Australia are placed in Group A alongside Ireland, Japan, and Sri Lanka.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"He loves Virat Kohli. He adores Virat. Like millions of kids, Virat has inspired Aryan as well," Raman Sharma tells TimesofIndia.com from Melbourne.
Aryan Sharma once held a placard saying, 'Watch me play for Australia in 2025,' has turned his childhood promise into reality.
"I have the placard on my work desk. After he got picked for Australia U-19 against India recently, where Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi) and Ayush (Mhatre) were also playing, I told Ari, 'You predicted that you would play for Australia in 2025 and here you are,'" says an emotional father.
"You (can) call it manifestation or his bold prediction. But we were super thrilled. The coincidence was so lovely."
The icing on the cake for the Sharma family was that the Kohli-led India won the MCG Test by 137 runs, and Aryan got to see his inspiration in full flow during his 82 in the first innings, while putting together a 170-run stand with centurion Cheteshwar Pujara.
Aryan Sharma named in Australia’s squad for the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup, to be held in Namibia and Zimbabwe from January 15 to February 6
"We managed to get the autographs of Jasprit Bumrah, who was sensational throughout the Test, and Mohammed Shami," recollects Sharma Sr..
There's another coincidence in Aryan's life. The 2005-born teenager fell in love with cricket in 2011, the year MS Dhoni-led India lifted the ODI World Cup.
"I never played any professional cricket. Yes, I did play when I was young like any Indian teenager. Aryan developed his love when he was six. I still remember gifting him his first cricket bat," says Raman.
Aryan never looked back.
"When he was 8, he was playing in the U11s. At 10, he was playing U14. He always played with kids older than his age. It helped his cricket as well," says Raman.
With Aryan taking giant strides in cricket, the Sharma family — Raman and his wife Shruti — had their own fair share of challenges to cope with.
Raman, who hails from Garhshankar in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district, moved to Australia in 2005. Moving to an alien country was not easy for Raman, who is a migration consultant and runs his own firm. "It was challenging. I was the first one to come to Australia from my family. So you’ve got to adapt quickly. Life itself is challenging," says Raman. He adds, "I got married in 2007. We have three beautiful children. Like any family, we also went through our own ups and downs."
Aryan Sharma in action
"It's the journey of an entire family. I remember Aryan having lunch and dinner in the car. We had to go to the country town where he used to train, then to school, and again back to training. He used to change clothes in the car.
"In all this my partner also stood firm. We have two daughters, both younger than Aryan. My wife was looking after them. I was doing my meetings in my car," shares Raman.
"It was quite challenging. Sometimes you get fined when you park your car beyond the parking limit. Our life revolved around his cricket," he adds.
Amidst all this, the one thing Raman misses the most is not being able to go to India regularly.
"I did not travel to India for years. In Australia, the competitive cricket starts in January during the holidays. We were unable to travel to India since Ari was playing cricket. I didn't go back for seven years," he says.
But in April 2024, it was cricket that brought Raman back to his homeland. Aryan's childhood coach, Bagheshwar Bist, who has played Ranji Trophy for Haryana and is now settled in Melbourne, decided to take Aryan and a couple of other youngsters to India.
Aryan Sharma is an all-rounder
"We went to Chandigarh. We played at the iconic Sector 16 Stadium. We went to Zirakpur to play matches," reminisces Raman.
However, the hot North India weather in April took a toll on Aryan and his friends, and Raman thought they had made a big mistake.
"It was so hot that I thought, 'what have I done?' But kudos to these boys, they never gave up. They made the most of the experience and returned better cricketers," he says.
Raman has nothing but gratitude for Cricket Victoria, Bagheshwar Bist, and all the coaches who have worked with Aryan so far.
"I want to thank Cricket Victoria, who identified his talent. I want to thank Mr. Bist, who worked tirelessly with his son. They made our life so easy. They have been so supportive," says Raman.
Raman, who knows a thing or two about life and the challenges it throws, has just one piece of advice for his son: "Keep your head down. Make sure you say hello to everyone. Stay humble."
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