The entry of Samit Dravid into professional cricket is part of a broader trend witnessed in Indian cricket over the years
Samit Dravid, son of the former captain of India and the ex-head coach Rahul Dravid, has received his first big T20 contract in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 league. The 18-year-old all-rounder was picked up by last season's runner-up Mysuru Warriors, for INR 50,000 during the auction in Bengaluru. Known for his medium-pace bowling and middle-order batting, Samit had already proved his worth with the Karnataka Under-19 team, winning the 2023–24 Cooch Behar Trophy. He has also turned up for KSCA XI in a three-day match against the visiting Lancashire side in Alur.
Under the captaincy of Karun Nair, Samit will join a strong team that includes all-rounders J Suchith and Prasidh Krishna. The entry of Samit Dravid into professional cricket is part of a broader trend witnessed in Indian cricket over the years, where children of iconic players have followed in their father's renowned footsteps.
The first step towards creating his legacy! Welcome aboard, Samit Dravid đź’›#MysoreWarriors #GoWarriors #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/kN48J0vWY4
— Mysore Warriors (@mysore_warriors) July 25, 2024
In the following paragraphs, let us look at renowned cricketers whose children ventured in the realm of cricket.
Mohinder Amarnath is a famous name in the annals of Indian cricket history, hailing from the famous Amarnath family. With Lala Amarnath, the first Test centurion of India, as his father, he had big shoes to fill; however, he improvised upon the tradition laid by his father to emerge as a cricket icon on his own. His most significant achievement came in 1983 when he played an essential role in India's World Cup win. His great shows in the tournament included the match-winning 26 in the final against West Indies, for which he received the Man of the Match award. He was known for his ability to handle fast bowlers and his dependable middle-order batting.
The Amarnath family produced three 🇮🇳 cricketers.
— ICC (@ICC) June 21, 2020
Lala Amarnath, who was the first India player to score a Test century, also gave birth to the hero of their 1983 World Cup final win, Mohinder Amarnath. His other son, Surinder Amarnath, also played 10 Tests and three ODIs. pic.twitter.com/zcxkyzfHre
Rohan Gavaskar, the son of the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, failed to scale the heights his father had reached. Although a consistent domestic performer, the left-handed batter played his last ODI against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2004 and was never really a successful player at the international stage. In first-class cricket, he played for Bengal and scored nearly 7,000 runs and also turned up for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2009-10 edition of the IPL. Rohan retired from first-class cricket in 2012 and ventured into the field of commentary.
Stuart Binny, the son of 1983 World Cup hero and the current BCCI president Roger Binny, is another case of a son unable to escape the shadow of father’s legacy. It was a fleeting career, but Stuart did manage to make an impact on a few occasions as an all-rounder by representing India in the 2015 World Cup. In 2014, he picked up six wickets for four runs against Bangladesh which is still the second-best ODI figure by a bowler in Indian cricket.
Perfect line and length from Stuart Binny đź‘Ś
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 11, 2023
(via @LLCT20) | #LLCT20 | #LLCOnStar pic.twitter.com/IHG6li8Oyc
The Manjrekar family has a history of good cricket that has been running for generations. Vijay Manjrekar was a fine batsman with 55 Test matches and seven centuries, one of India's best batsmen then. Unfortunately, his son, Sanjay Manjrekar did not have a career worth recalling. Sanjay played 37 Tests and 74 ODIs, scoring 2,043 runs and 1,994 runs, respectively. Although he did have a brilliant first-class career with nearly 11,000 runs.
Last but not least, Yuvraj Singh followed in the footsteps of his father Jograj Singh. In Yuvraj’s case, it is the son who scripted history and went miles ahead of his father given Yograj Singh never made a big name for himself during his playing career. When it comes to white-ball cricket, Singh helped India with the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. Singh is rightfully considered a hero in India’s modern-day cricket history.