Archie Schiller, a six-year-old from Barossa Valley in South Australia, trained with the Australian team a few days ahead of the much-anticipated Test series between the hosts and India. The kid has been promised that he will be a part of the Australian squad for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, which is scheduled to take place four days after his seventh birthday.
Archie has been suffering from a heart condition but that hasn’t stopped him from training in his backyard for the Melbourne Test. He claims he is a leg-spinner and a fan of ‘Garry’ [Nathan] Lyon. His dream is to lead the senior national team and he feels that he can get world-beater Virat Kohli out, easily.
ALSO READ: Archie “Called-Up” To Australian Squad For The Boxing Day Test
In a heartwarming gesture, Australia coach Justin Langer had told Archie and his parents about his inclusion in the Test squad via a video call from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the team’s tour of Pakistan in October.
Thanks to Make a Wish Foundation, Archie got the opportunity to meet his heroes and even posed for photographs with skipper Tim Paine and Lyon. The cricket-loving kid was presented his Australia kit during the training session and one has to say that the young kid was looking dapper.
Australia’s newest Test squad member, 6-year-old Archie Schiller, in his kit and ready for action at Adelaide Oval nets #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/puSo1bZIbP
— Andrew Ramsey (@ARamseyCricket) December 4, 2018
As per the reports of cricket.com.au., Archie was three months old when it was diagnosed that his heart valves are faulty and his heartbeat had irregular rhythms. He had needed an urgent surgery that lasted more than seven hours. Six months later, the kid had to undergo a second surgery, while in December 2017, he had his third open-heart surgery.
Despite all the difficulties, Archie continues to be a fun-loving kid. The report says he has abandoned daily television viewing sessions at home to focus on the preparation in the lead up to the Melbourne Test even as Langer did not promise a spot in the playing XI.
Australia’s newest Test squad member has his whites and is warming up with the rest of the Aussie squad at training. Learn his full story HERE: https://t.co/ctXeVwWwOL pic.twitter.com/4s2EFarMoN
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 3, 2018
Archie bowled a no-ball during a training session at his backyard but he has told his mother, Sarah not to reveal it to Langer, who is looking forward to having the kid in the Australian dressing room.
ALSO READ: Australian Media Reveals The Conversation Of Kohli And Paine
Talking about his experience with the kid, Langer said, “I reckon he’ll be treated like (uncapped opener) Marcus Harris – come in for the first time in the changerooms, meet all the boys and like always when you come into that inner sanctum of the Baggy Green, it’s like joining the brotherhood. He’s been through some tough times spent a lot of time in a hospital bed, so any way that we can help to put a smile on his face, it’s the very least we can do for him.”
Here is the video of him training with the Australian team:
https://www.facebook.com/cricketcomau/videos/358487918298683/
