5 players who were named after famous cricketers

It is quite common for cricketers who have made huge names for themselves to serve as role models for youngsters who are looking to make a mark on the biggest stage. In addition to this, the superstars also have a huge impact on families as a whole as they dream of their children following in the footsteps of these big players someday.

In world cricket, there have been many cricketers who have had a massive influence on the game and have served their country outstandingly. So much so that some cricketers who have played after them have been named after their parents' favourite player or players.

Here are five such players who were named after famous cricketers who played before them.

#5 Curtly Ambrose

Curtly Ambrose during his stint as the West Indies coach

The towering West Indian often relied on pace and purchase off the wicket to scalp wickets and was an integral part of the West Indian bowling attack. Going by the history, Curtly Ambrose was named after the grandfather of ex-England fast bowler James Kirtley.

According to reports, it is said that Kirtley worked as a minister and missionary in the Leeward Islands in the Carribean during the 1960s and his work influenced Ambrose's parents to name him after Kirtley.

The pacer enjoyed a rather successful career and in 98 Tests, picked up 405 wickets while in 176 ODIs, he finished with 225 scalps.

#4 Rohan Gavaskar

Rohan Gavaskar attempts a caught and bowled chance against Australia

Son of legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar, Rohan had a brief stint as part of the Indian national team before he lost his spot to regulars. A left-hand batsman and useful left-arm spinner, Rohan featured in 11 One-Day Internationals for India.

With a lot of cricket running in his family, Rohan's christening was also inclined toward cricket as he was named after famous Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Rohan Kanhai, whose style of play was admired by Sunil Gavaskar.

It does not end there. Junior Gavaskar's actual birth name was Rohan Jaiviswa, a surname that was a combination of two big cricketing names ML Jaisimha and Gundappa Vishwanath.

#3 Neil Harvey Fairbrother

Neil Fairbrother (C) has a word with Geoffrey Boycott

One of the most consistent middle order batsmen in the 1990s, Fairbrother banked on his skill to pierce gaps with ease and rotate strike while occasionally playing the big shot. In addition to this, his terrific fielding made him an asset to the English setup during his playing days.

According to an interview, the left-hander said that he was named Neil Harvey Fairbrother after Australian Neil Harvey, who was his mother's favourite cricketer.

From 75 matches, the ex-England batsman amassed 2092 runs at a decent average of 39.47 while he also featured in 10 Test matches during his career.

#2 Sachin Baby

Sachin Baby in action for RCB in the IPL

The Kerala left-hander has a unique story behind his christening. Born a day before the legendary master blaster Sachin Tendulkar played his first ODI for India, his father sat down to pray at the church before settling down to watch Tendulkar take to the field for the first time in his career.

Fascinated by the 16-year-old Tendulkar's rise to the highest level at such a young age, Baby's father named his new-born 'Sachin', hoping that his son would grow to play cricket at a high level in the near future.

His wish came true, although a little late, when Sachin Baby made his Ranji Trophy debut against Assam in November 2009. Since then, the diminutive left-hander has represented RCB in the IPL and has been a consistent presence for Kerala.

#1 KL Rahul

KL Rahul celebrates his century against Australia

The Karnataka batsman has a very peculiar story behind the history of his name. As explained by Rahul in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, a mistake led to his parents naming him Kannur Lokesh Rahul.

Rahul said that his father, who is a very big fan of Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Vishwanath, was watching a game of cricket when he heard the commentators pronounce Sunil Gavaskar's son's name as Rohan.

Having misheard the name as 'Rahul', his father went on to call his newborn son the same name, hoping that his son would follow Gavaskar's footsteps and become a big figure in international cricket, a feat that he is well on his way to achieving.