The greatest Indian cricket team, a combined India-Pakistan XI, the greatest ever left-handed XI – dream teams are an indulgence for many cricket fans.
So here’s a slight variation on that theme: an Indian cricket team comprising the sons of some of India’s famous cricketers. Some of the names mentioned below have enjoyed a fair bit of success in cricket. As for the others, suffice to say that they found better avenues to showcase their talents.
Ashok Mankad
The eldest son of the great Vinoo Mankad was affectionately called “Kaka” for his enduring love for actor Rajesh Khanna. Forever in the shadow of his father, Mankad was no slouch with the bat. An average of over 50 and close to 13,000 runs in first class cricket is proof enough. Unfortunately (and unfairly many would argue), Kaka was never given an extended run by the selectors and was shuffled around the batting order in the 22 Tests he played.
Rohan Gavaskar
It is hard not to feel sorry for Rohan Gavaskar. Not only did he have father Sunil’s enormous shadow looming large over him, he even had the misfortune of being named Rohan Jaivishwa. Rohan after the dashing West Indian batsman Rohan Kanhai, Jai after the evergreen cricketer ML Jaisimha, and Vishwa after the his uncle and top batsman Gundappa Vishwanath. Those are some big names to contend with.
Junior Gavaskar still persevered, shifting from Mumbai to the Bengal Ranji side early in his career and establishing his credentials as a batsman. Yet, when the call-up to the national team eventually came in 2004, it was in Australia, one of the toughest places for any Indian batsman. Despite being in and out of the One Day International team and even turning out for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier league, Rohan could never reach hit the heights of his legendary father. He now plies his trade in the commentary box.
Pranab Roy
Pankaj Roy spent nearly eight hours at the crease during his then world-record opening partnership of 413 with Vinoo Mankad in 1956 against New Zealand. When he was finally dismissed, he had scored 173 runs.
Pankaj Roy’s son Pranab Roy inherited his father’s obduracy, but unfortunately not the knack of making huge scores. In his debut against England in 1982, Pranab Roy spent an hour and 20 minutes at the crease, only to make eight runs. He scored a half-century in the second innings, but failed to make his mark on the international stage thereafter and was dropped after playing just one more Test.
Rajdeep Sardesai
One of India’s most high-profile journalists actually came from a cricketing background. He is the son of Dilip Sardesai, one of the architects of India’s famous away Test win against the West Indies in 1971. When asked by customs officials in the Carribean if he had anything to declare, Sardesai senior famously quipped, “I have come here with runs...and I’ll go back with more.”
Rajdeep Sardesai was not in the same league, but played the game with equal enthusiasm. While studying at Oxford, he turned out for their cricket team and made a half-century. He even played against a Pakistani touring team and was dismissed by legendary Pakistani leg-spinner Abdul Qadir.
Mohinder and Surinder Amarnath
Of all the cricketing sons, Mohinder Amarnath was probably the most successful. The son of Lala Amarnath, the first captain of independent India and the first Indian to score a Test century, Mohinder faithfully carried forward his father’s legacy. He was a talented all-rounder and was known for the admirable courage he displayed against the fastest bowlers of his time. The pinnacle of his career was undoubtedly his performance in India’s World Cup triumph in 1983, where he was named Man of the Series.
Elder brother Surinder may not have reached those heights, but he was no mug with the bat either. A schoolboy prodigy who made his Ranji Trophy debut aged 15, Surinder was an aggressive batsman who liked to take on the bowlers. He made a century on debut against New Zealand, but could not sustain that excellent form and faded away after playing only ten Tests and three ODIs.
Stuart Binny
Stuart Binny has already trumped his father in one aspect – his figures of six wickets for four runs against Bangladesh in an ODI last year are the best-ever figures by an Indian bowler in that format.
Stuart is unquestionably a chip off the old block. Like his enterprising father Roger, he is a useful man to have in the team. Capable of bowling line and length and swinging it when the conditions favour him, Stuart is handy with bat as well. He has already scored a half-century in both the Test and ODI formats, with some very useful innings in the Indian Premier League to boot.
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj is an oddity on this list. He is probably one of the few examples in cricket where a son has achieved far more success than his father. While Yograj Singh was a right-arm pace bowler, Yuvraj is flamboyant and left-handed. Yograj played just one Test, in 1981, and took only one wicket.
His son became a youth icon and was feared for his swashbuckling batting. An integral member of India’s limited-overs team at the start of the new millennium, Yuvraj hit six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad in the World T20 in 2007. But with 362 runs and 15 wickets, his greatest achievement probably came in the 2011 World Cup with his Player of the Tournament performance in India’s title-winning campaign. Yuvraj Singh then showed immense bravery to battle and recover from a rare form of cancer, which had threatened to end his career.
Hrishikesh Kanitkar
Hrishikesh and his father Hemant Kanitkar had similar traits – both were stocky, stubborn batsmen relying on grit to see them through and both played two Tests apiece. Hrishikesh, however, got an extended run in ODIs and is best remembered for hitting Saqlain Mushtaq for a boundary in Dhaka in 1998 to seal India’s then record chase of 314 over Pakistan in the Independence Cup final.
Sanjay Manjrekar
He might be known a well-known face in the commentary box these days, but Sanjay Manjrekar was an important component of India’s batting unit in the late 1980s and even has a double century against Pakistan to his name. While his father Vijay Manjrekar was far more flamboyant, preferring to hook and cut the fastest bowlers of his time, Sanjay Manjrekar was dourer, preferring to rely on his grittiness to combat the bowlers.
Saif Ali Khan
The son of the legendary Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, actor Saif Ali Khan tried his hand at cricket but was honest enough to admit that he never had the gift to be a successful cricketer. And even if he had tried, he would have had a tough time measuring up to his illustrious father. The erstwhile Nawab of Pataudi could arguably be considered the greatest-ever Indian captain, taking over the reins at a difficult time and instilling a belief of winning in the Indian team. He was a remarkable batsman, and though an average of 34 may not show it, he was among the best of his era. All this came while he played with only one eye, having lost his other eye in a car crash at the age of 21.
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So here’s a slight variation on that theme: an Indian cricket team comprising the sons of some of India’s famous cricketers. Some of the names mentioned below have enjoyed a fair bit of success in cricket. As for the others, suffice to say that they found better avenues to showcase their talents.
Ashok Mankad
The eldest son of the great Vinoo Mankad was affectionately called “Kaka” for his enduring love for actor Rajesh Khanna. Forever in the shadow of his father, Mankad was no slouch with the bat. An average of over 50 and close to 13,000 runs in first class cricket is proof enough. Unfortunately (and unfairly many would argue), Kaka was never given an extended run by the selectors and was shuffled around the batting order in the 22 Tests he played.
Rohan Gavaskar
It is hard not to feel sorry for Rohan Gavaskar. Not only did he have father Sunil’s enormous shadow looming large over him, he even had the misfortune of being named Rohan Jaivishwa. Rohan after the dashing West Indian batsman Rohan Kanhai, Jai after the evergreen cricketer ML Jaisimha, and Vishwa after the his uncle and top batsman Gundappa Vishwanath. Those are some big names to contend with.
Junior Gavaskar still persevered, shifting from Mumbai to the Bengal Ranji side early in his career and establishing his credentials as a batsman. Yet, when the call-up to the national team eventually came in 2004, it was in Australia, one of the toughest places for any Indian batsman. Despite being in and out of the One Day International team and even turning out for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier league, Rohan could never reach hit the heights of his legendary father. He now plies his trade in the commentary box.
Pranab Roy
Pankaj Roy spent nearly eight hours at the crease during his then world-record opening partnership of 413 with Vinoo Mankad in 1956 against New Zealand. When he was finally dismissed, he had scored 173 runs.
Pankaj Roy’s son Pranab Roy inherited his father’s obduracy, but unfortunately not the knack of making huge scores. In his debut against England in 1982, Pranab Roy spent an hour and 20 minutes at the crease, only to make eight runs. He scored a half-century in the second innings, but failed to make his mark on the international stage thereafter and was dropped after playing just one more Test.
Rajdeep Sardesai
One of India’s most high-profile journalists actually came from a cricketing background. He is the son of Dilip Sardesai, one of the architects of India’s famous away Test win against the West Indies in 1971. When asked by customs officials in the Carribean if he had anything to declare, Sardesai senior famously quipped, “I have come here with runs...and I’ll go back with more.”
Rajdeep Sardesai was not in the same league, but played the game with equal enthusiasm. While studying at Oxford, he turned out for their cricket team and made a half-century. He even played against a Pakistani touring team and was dismissed by legendary Pakistani leg-spinner Abdul Qadir.
Mohinder and Surinder Amarnath
Of all the cricketing sons, Mohinder Amarnath was probably the most successful. The son of Lala Amarnath, the first captain of independent India and the first Indian to score a Test century, Mohinder faithfully carried forward his father’s legacy. He was a talented all-rounder and was known for the admirable courage he displayed against the fastest bowlers of his time. The pinnacle of his career was undoubtedly his performance in India’s World Cup triumph in 1983, where he was named Man of the Series.
Elder brother Surinder may not have reached those heights, but he was no mug with the bat either. A schoolboy prodigy who made his Ranji Trophy debut aged 15, Surinder was an aggressive batsman who liked to take on the bowlers. He made a century on debut against New Zealand, but could not sustain that excellent form and faded away after playing only ten Tests and three ODIs.
Stuart Binny
Stuart Binny has already trumped his father in one aspect – his figures of six wickets for four runs against Bangladesh in an ODI last year are the best-ever figures by an Indian bowler in that format.
Stuart is unquestionably a chip off the old block. Like his enterprising father Roger, he is a useful man to have in the team. Capable of bowling line and length and swinging it when the conditions favour him, Stuart is handy with bat as well. He has already scored a half-century in both the Test and ODI formats, with some very useful innings in the Indian Premier League to boot.
Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj is an oddity on this list. He is probably one of the few examples in cricket where a son has achieved far more success than his father. While Yograj Singh was a right-arm pace bowler, Yuvraj is flamboyant and left-handed. Yograj played just one Test, in 1981, and took only one wicket.
His son became a youth icon and was feared for his swashbuckling batting. An integral member of India’s limited-overs team at the start of the new millennium, Yuvraj hit six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad in the World T20 in 2007. But with 362 runs and 15 wickets, his greatest achievement probably came in the 2011 World Cup with his Player of the Tournament performance in India’s title-winning campaign. Yuvraj Singh then showed immense bravery to battle and recover from a rare form of cancer, which had threatened to end his career.
Hrishikesh Kanitkar
Hrishikesh and his father Hemant Kanitkar had similar traits – both were stocky, stubborn batsmen relying on grit to see them through and both played two Tests apiece. Hrishikesh, however, got an extended run in ODIs and is best remembered for hitting Saqlain Mushtaq for a boundary in Dhaka in 1998 to seal India’s then record chase of 314 over Pakistan in the Independence Cup final.
Sanjay Manjrekar
He might be known a well-known face in the commentary box these days, but Sanjay Manjrekar was an important component of India’s batting unit in the late 1980s and even has a double century against Pakistan to his name. While his father Vijay Manjrekar was far more flamboyant, preferring to hook and cut the fastest bowlers of his time, Sanjay Manjrekar was dourer, preferring to rely on his grittiness to combat the bowlers.
Saif Ali Khan
The son of the legendary Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, actor Saif Ali Khan tried his hand at cricket but was honest enough to admit that he never had the gift to be a successful cricketer. And even if he had tried, he would have had a tough time measuring up to his illustrious father. The erstwhile Nawab of Pataudi could arguably be considered the greatest-ever Indian captain, taking over the reins at a difficult time and instilling a belief of winning in the Indian team. He was a remarkable batsman, and though an average of 34 may not show it, he was among the best of his era. All this came while he played with only one eye, having lost his other eye in a car crash at the age of 21.
