3 Sons of Successful Cricketers Who Failed To Impress

Rohan Gavaskar with father Sunil Gavaskar (X.com)Rohan Gavaskar with father Sunil Gavaskar (X.com)

Carrying forward a successful and prominent sports athlete's legacy is never easy, especially for the next generation from their own bloodline.

The burden of expectations and the constant pressure of the limelight make them unable to escape the shadows of their father's achievements. 

In a recent instance, Samit Dravid, son of acclaimed Indian cricketer and head coach Rahul Dravid, encountered a failure in his Maharaja T20 league debut.

Like Samit, here's a list of three sons of successful cricketers who failed to impress and make it big despite the expectations and backing of their influential fathers.

3. Mali Richards

Viv Richard's son, Mali Richards (X.com)Viv Richard's son, Mali Richards (X.com)

Viv Richards, often regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen in cricket history, dominated world cricket in the 1970s and 1980s with his aggressive batting style and charisma. While his son, Mali Richards, attempted to follow in his father's footsteps, he struggled to make a significant impact in the game.

Mali Richards played first-class cricket for teams like the Leeward Islands and Middlesex but never managed to break into the West Indies national team. Needless to say, the pressure of being the son of a cricketing icon like Viv Richards proved to be too great, and Mali eventually faded from the cricketing scene.

2. Stuart Binny

Roger Binny's son, Stuart Binny (X.com)Roger Binny's son, Stuart Binny (X.com)

Roger Binny, Stuart Binny's father and sitting president of the BCCI, was a key all-rounder who contributed to India's 1983 World Cup-winning team. Meanwhile, Stuart decided to extend his father's legacy by becoming an all-rounder. Binny attained success in the initial phase of his career as he played 6 Tests, 14 ODIs, and 3 T20Is for India between 2014 and 2016. 

The all-rounder made headlines with the best bowling figures by an Indian in ODI history, taking 6 wickets for just 4 runs against Bangladesh. However, his overall career was marked by inconsistency. Stuart often struggled to maintain a regular spot in the Indian team, but he was eventually dropped and could not establish himself as a potent international cricketer.

1. Rohan Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar's son, Rohan Gavaskar (X.com)Sunil Gavaskar's son, Rohan Gavaskar (X.com)

Rohan Gavaskar, the son of the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, had big shoes to fill. His dad was one of the greatest batters in the history of cricket. He grabbed the limelight by becoming the first player to reach 10,000 runs in red-ball cricket. Meanwhile, Rohan, a left-hander, showed promise in domestic cricket, scoring over 5,000 runs in first-class matches, but his international career unfortunately never took off. 

Rohan played 11 ODIs for India between 2004 and 2005 and scored just 151 runs, including a half-century on debut. However, his inability to translate his domestic success at the international level meant that his career with the Indian team was short-lived. Rohan Gavaskar eventually transitioned to a career in cricket commentary and analysis after retiring from the game.