Ramesh Puri, a cricketer from Sirhind in Punjab, has reached a landmark in Australian club cricket, scoring 10,000 runs. It’s a figure that speaks for itself, but it’s the story behind the runs that gives it weight.
Puri moved to Adelaide in 2008 in search of a new beginning. Like many migrants, the early years weren’t easy. But cricket never left his side. Through job shifts, cultural adjustments and the inevitable lows of relocation, the game became his constant. “Cricket has always kept me going,” he said.
Over time, the scoreboard began to reflect the effort. The runs accumulated. Yet Puri’s game wasn’t built on flash. It was built on routine, on making the nets after work, on Sunday matches in Adelaide’s clubs, and on quiet innings that built confidence one over at a time. He describes his milestones not as personal victories, but as shared achievements—crediting “parents, wife, friends, fans, and my coach Deepak Bhardwaj” for standing with him through the years.
His coach, Deepak Bhardwaj, who guides the Adelaide Gladiators Cricket Club, has been instrumental in shaping that discipline. Bhardwaj has coached dozens of players in Adelaide’s competitive circuits, but says Puri’s story is a standout. “He’s not just a captain. He’s a mentor, a club organiser, and someone who really understands what it means to give back,” said Bhardwaj.
That mindset led Puri to do more than just play. In 2023, he founded the Adelaide Gladiators Cricket Club, a team that offers playing and development opportunities to a growing group of young players, especially within the South Asian community. As captain and secretary, he oversees matches, training schedules, and club operations—often while juggling his own family life with a five-year-old son at home.
The Gladiators aren’t a club in name alone. They reflect Puri’s belief that cricket can create belonging. And his coaching has started to show results, with several younger players making their mark in local divisions.
Puri now has his eyes on bigger numbers. “Another 10,000 runs is the goal,” he says with a smile. But he’s equally focused on setting up a cricket academy in the near future—one that can offer proper nets, equipment and coaching pathways for players who are starting out just like he did.
He’s also clear about his ambitions to play representative cricket. “I want to represent South Australia and maybe even Australia in my age group,” he says, referencing the growing category of masters and veterans cricket competitions. These aren’t dreams from nowhere; they’re grounded in form, fitness, and what he’s already built.
Sponsorship, Puri says, has helped make it all possible. He thanked those who have backed him financially—from club days to coaching and now his plans for an academy. “None of this would be doable without their help. Their belief in me has meant I could keep going when it got tough.”
There’s a humility in the way Puri speaks about the milestone. The number matters, but what matters more is what came with it: resilience, community, and a steady bat.
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