October 29, 2014
Indian students’ chance to meet international cricketing superstar
A select group of UOW Indian students will tomorrow in Bowral (Thursday 30 October) meet former Indian cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, AM, who is acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
Tendulkar has scored more Test runs than any other cricketer in history and bestrode the international cricket stage for 24 years retiring from all levels of cricket in 2013. The Indian batting maestro was identified by Sir Donald Bradman early in his career as the batsman whose technique most closely resembled his own.
It will therefore be a fitting stage when Tendulkar visits the Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame tomorrow – at the home of the “boy from Bowral”.
One of the students from UOW meeting Tendulkar will be first year Civil Engineering student Mohammed Shuja Ahmed Khan. The 18-year-old from Hyderabad is UOW’s inaugural Bradman Scholarship holder. UOW inaugurated the scholarship in 2012 to honour Sir Donald who is widely regarded as the greatest-ever cricketer.
The scholarship will be awarded each year to an Indian student – male or female – who has completed secondary school and demonstrates a combination of academic, sporting, personal and social skills, as well as strong participation in cricket.
UOW combined as education partner with the Bradman Foundation, a charitable trust established in 1987 with the blessing of Sir Donald Bradman to promote cricket as a cultural and sporting force, to establish the scholarship.
Shuja was awarded the inaugural Bradman Scholarship after an India-wide search in 2013, and began his four-year Bachelor of Civil Engineering course early in 2014.
UOW and UOWD are both popular destinations for Indian students particularly for postgraduate study. In 2014 UOW in Australia had 441 Indian students at its campuses in 精东传媒 and Sydney, a 40 per cent increase on the previous year. In Dubai, UOWD boasts about 1125 Indian students making them the largest cohort on the Dubai site. Before arriving in Bowral, Tendulkar and Australian test cricket captain Steve Waugh, AO, will be honoured at The Bradman Foundation’s Gala Dinner on October 29 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Tendulkar and Waugh will be present for their induction as the 2014 Bradman Honourees, joining the likes of Alan Davidson AM, MBE, Dennis Lillee AM, MBE and Mark Taylor, AO.
Note to media: Sachin Tendulkar will arrive by helicopter to the Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame at about 11.15am on Thursday 30 October. He will receive a guided tour of the museum by curator David Wells. The event is expected to conclude at 1pm. School students from Bowral Public School where Sir Donald went to school will also be in attendance.
Media contacts: Communications Director for the Sydney Cricket Ground and Bradman Foundation, Phillip Heads on +61 407 481 416 or Bernie Goldie from UOW on +61 412 454 124.