Cricket legend Rahul Dravid’s son Samit Dravid burst into the limelight as he got selected for India U-19 cricket team on Saturday. The 18-year-old Samit Dravid is an all-rounder and played for Karnataka in the domestic cricket.
Owing to his legendary father Rahul Dravid, the young all-rounder made headlines at national level, immediately after be got selected for national team. BCCI picked Samit for both One Day Internationals series and four-day matches series, to be played against Australia.
With his inclusion in India U-19 team, Samit will join the leagues of Rohan Gavaskar, Stuart Binny, Arjun Tendulkar and other cricketers, who are sons of celebrated cricketers.
While the children of Indian star cricketers, have hogged limelight due to their illustrious fathers, one big worry among them is fear of failure. Almost all the successors of yesteryear cricketers have failed to successfully carry on the legacy of their fathers.
Rohan Gavaskar, son of legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, got selected to Indian cricket team in 2000s. But his international career was shortlived, as he managed to play just 11 ODIs and could score a paltry 151 runs in his career, a far cry from his illustrious father’s achievements.
Stuart Binny, the all-rounder son of 1983 World Cup winning team member Roger Binny also played for Indian national side. Inspite of promising talent, Stuart Bunny could not succeed in making a mark for himself. Making his debut in international cricket at a time when young cricketers with abundant talent competed for place in national side, Stuart Binny career ended with 6 tests and 14 ODIs.
Even Anirudha Srikant, son of star cricketer Krishnamachari Srikant, tried his luck in cricket but could not replicate the success of his father. Anirudha Srikant played for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL, but failed to get a place in national team.
Arjun Yadav, son of former Indian off spinner Shivlal Yadav, also played Ranji trophy matches for Hyderabad but failed to make a mark. He was also part of India U-19 team, but could not manage to get a place in the national team. On the otherhand, Shiv Lal Yadav had picked 102 wickets in test cricket and served as cricket administrator.
Coming to the present, Arjun Tendulkar, son of great cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, is pursuing his career as a bowling all-rounder. He has played for Mumbai and Goa in domestic cricket and is member of Mumbai Indians team in IPL. The 24-year-old cricketer has a tall order to fulfil, to come out of the shadow of his legendary father and create an identity of his own.
Now, even Samit Dravid has an herculean task ahead of him. He has to perform really well and deliver impeccable figures to reach the expectations of ‘being Rahul Dravid’s son’. Carrying the legacy of his celebrated father will be a huge burden on his shoulders. Only time will tell, whether Junior Dravid will break the tradition and live up to his father’s legacy.
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