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When a great batsman or a dreaded bowler creates a number of records on the cricket field, the whole world becomes crazy about his game. There is often a curiosity in the minds of sports lovers whether, like these great players, their sons will also be able to carry forward their father’s legacy by coming into the world of cricket. From Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, there have been many great players of the country and the world whose sons, despite having a cricketing atmosphere at home, could not achieve the position in international cricket that every fan was expecting. In some cases, players’ sons could not progress beyond the junior and age-group cricket levels, while some tried their hand in domestic cricket but under the burden of pressure and expectations, their careers could not last long. Let us know in detail in this special article about those 5 legendary cricketers whose sons failed to shine on the international cricket pitch like their father and how was their career journey.
Every Indian proudly takes the name of Sunil Gavaskar, famously known as ‘Little Master’ in the history of cricket and the first batsman in the world to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. The country had similar expectations from his son Rohan Gavaskar and Rohan also scored a lot of runs while playing for Bengal in domestic cricket. On the basis of his technique and hard work, Rohan made a place in the Indian team and played some ODI matches, but he could not even come close to the historic milestone of his father. The immense pressure of his great father’s name, the constant attention of the media and the mountain of expectations overshadowed Rohan Gavaskar’s career. Although he tried his best, he could never make a permanent place at the international level and his international career came to a halt after some time.
There has always been a different kind of craze and curiosity among the fans about Arjun Tendulkar, son of Sachin Tendulkar, who has achieved the status of ‘God’ in the world of cricket. Sachin taught his son every nuance of cricket and Arjun also tried to create his own identity as a left-arm fast bowler and all-rounder. Arjun, who played domestic cricket for Goa instead of Mumbai, also scored a century in Ranji Trophy and was also a part of Mumbai Indians and later other teams in IPL. But the more his name is discussed, the more severe criticism and comparison he has to face at every step. Although Arjun is still active and working hard in domestic cricket, he has not yet been able to wear the jersey of the Indian senior international team and there is always debate among experts regarding his career.
The fear of the fearsome batting of Sir Vivian Richards, who was counted among the most aggressive and great batsmen of the West Indies, was clearly visible in the hearts of the bowlers of his era. It was expected in the sports world about his son Malia Richards that he would also hit fours and sixes on the field like his father. But Malia was more inclined towards football and other sports than cricket. He did try his hand at cricket for some time, but was never able to make a name for himself at any level and completely failed to progress beyond age-group cricket. According to the stature of Vivian Richards, his son’s game could never come to the attention of the world, due to which his fans were also very disappointed.
Who can forget the aggressive batting style of Lance Klusener, who single-handedly won the match for South Africa in the 1999 World Cup and is counted among the most dangerous all-rounders in the world. Lance Klusener, popularly known as ‘Zulu’, created a stir in the cricket world with his stormy innings. But when it comes to his family and children, his sons could not achieve great heights in this sport like their father. Lance Klusener’s son participated in school cricket and local club matches at an early level, but was never able to cross the rigorous stage of professional or age-group cricket that is required to become a successful international cricketer. The journey of this family clearly reflects how difficult it is to carve out a niche for yourself in the world of sports, despite having the same name as your father.
The great batsmen of the world used to tremble before the bowling of Pakistan’s great left arm fast bowler Wasim Akram, known as ‘Sultan of Swing’ in cricket history. Wasim Akram’s son Tahoor Akram was also expected to bring glory to Pakistan by becoming a lethal fast bowler like his father. Tahoor also practiced bowling at the junior level for some time and worked hard in local academies, but his inclination gradually shifted away from cricket. Tahoor chose the world of golf and business as his career and never ventured into professional or age-group cricket. Wasim Akram himself admitted in an interview that his son chose another path of his own free will and had no special interest in cricket.
The examples of all these greats clearly prove that merely being the son of a great father does not guarantee that the player will achieve equal success on the field of play. To make your place in international cricket, it is very important to have immense talent, mental strength, hard struggle and luck. Many times, the immense pressure of their father’s name has such an impact on the mental state of the children that they disintegrate under the pressure, while at times their interest shifts to some other field altogether. It may be disappointing for sports lovers that they could not see the sons of their favorite legends hitting fours and sixes on the field, but the truth is equally big that every person has his own unique path and destiny.