Could Rahul Dravid's son Samit play for India in the future?

Samit Dravid with his medals after starring in his team’s victory

Indian cricket has seen quite a few father son duos playing for the country. The likes of Lala Amarnath and Mohinder Amarnath, Sunil Gavaskar and Rohan Gavaskar, Yograj Singh and Yuvraj Singh are a few prominent names in that list.

As many of the second generation of stars of recent times like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid plunge into serious cricket, let us see which of these star kids can play for India in the future.

Samit Dravid in news for match-winning efforts in school cricket

In recent times, we have been hearing about Samit Dravid on the cricket field. Samit, currently aged 9, plays for his school in Under-12 cricket.

Samit struck a half-century to help his school, Mallya Aditi International win the Under-12 title at the Gopalan Cricket Challenge tournament in Bangalore on September 5. Samit, the son of former India captain Rahul Dravid, scored 77 as his team defeated Head Start Educational Academy by 23 runs in the final at the St. John's Medical College grounds.

Samit was adjudged the ‘Best Batsman’ of the tournament. He produced scores of 77 not out, 91 and 77 in the finals of the tournament. All of his three half centuries came in winning causes.

Rahul himself was the biggest match winner in Test matches for India during the early 2000s. Seems like his son too is following in his footsteps. However, these are early days still.

Living up to the legacy of a big name

We have seen in the past how difficult it can be for superstar sons to become successful themselves or match their parents. The example of Rohan Gavaskar, who admitted to the pressure of the big name he was carrying on his shoulders all his life, shows following up is not easy for such kids.

The media and people all around you build up unnecessary pressure and then there are comparisons. Samit too will face these pressures and he will need a good team around him to keep him immune from these sky high expectations. However knowing Rahul, it would be safe to say that he would try to safeguard Samit and try to make things as uncomplicated as possible for his son.

Future outlook for Samit Dravid

Looking at his performances so far at junior levels, it is safe to say that Samit does possess some batting talent. However, it will need years of consistent performances at the domestic tournaments for him to make a case for national selection, just like his dad.

Even Rahul took six years after his Ranji debut in 1991 to finally land a place in the Indian team. He wasn’t recognised as the most talented of players, but his hard work and dedication led him to continuously evolve and improve his game. It was this quality of his which enabled Dravid to become the legend that we know now.

Samit too can follow his father’s footsteps and play for India, if he can imbibe those same qualities of hard work and dedication from his father. Also, the team around him will need to ensure that he can play his own game and style, rather than trying to become like his dad, as each individual is unique and different.

If they can keep him away from the media cacophony and mindless comparisons with Rahul, Samit may chart his own path in Indian cricket. No one will be more proud than his dad if he can even come close to replicating his heroics for India on the field. We wish Samit all the best for his future career and hope he dons the India colours and makes our country proud, ala his dad.