In the shadows

Following in the footsteps of a parent is something kids in India have long been expected to do.
The baton is simply passed. Sometimes, the pressure maybe from within, but most times, it emanates from the larger ambit of society. In the case of sporting children, the expectations become an inescapable whirlpool which the child is often sucked in to.
"Children of sporting icons are under a lot more pressure, the expectations placed on them is enormous," said sports psychologist Dr Chaitanya Sridhar. "Sport is a demanding business in itself and being an icon’s child only adds to the load the child carries at a young age. The pressure these kids place on themselves is also high which could prove detrimental, especially in the early stages of their career."
As Sachin Tendulkar walked away from the spotlight after nearly 25 years, his message on that particular topic was bluntly clear. As his young son explored the joys of playing cricket, the Indian batting maestro requested the media to leave Arjun be. There was no hesitancy in the shot selections, as Tendulkar pointed out, don't let your adulation for me get in the way of my son's happiness.
So uncomfortable was Aussie great Sir Don Bradman's son John in the spotlight that he temporarily took on the name of Bradsen. Closer home, Rohan Gavaskar has for long endured being called the not-so-famous son of a famous father despite being a handy cricketer with 11 One-day internationals to his name. Of course, his dad Sunil didn't do him any favours naming him Rohan Jaivishwa - a hat tip to his own favourite cricketers Rohan Kanhai, ML Jaisimha and Gundappa Vishwanath.
Bangalore boy Stuart Binny, who flirted with the Indian Cricket League before reentering the BCCI fold and shining in the Indian Premier League, has perhaps made peace with the fact that he won't be a World Cup winner like his dad Roger.
A number of athletes have broken through and matched, if not surpassed, their fathers when it comes to excelling in sport. Italian footballer Paolo Maldini overshadowed his father Cesare who won four Italian Serie A titles and a European Cup with AC Milan. Maldini, a one-club man with the same outfit, won seven Serie A titles and five European Cup/ UEFA Champions league medals and is already grooming his sons Christian and Daniel to be the faces of future Milan defences.
Ashok Kumar, the son of Dhyan Chand reinvented himself as an inside forward to avoid comparisons with his father, who sizzled as a centre-forward and took part in three World Cups. Jeev Milkha Singh chose golf to shine on the international stage while dad Milkha's achievements on the track were so inspiring that they were immortalized recently in a rare sports biopic. Ashwini Nachappa’s daughter Anisha is a shuttler while badminton ace Prakash Padukone's second daughter Anisha is working to be a pro-golfer while dealing with the additional pressure of being actress Deepika's sister.
Indeed, Tendulkar's son may not necessarily be another Sachin, but that does not mean he should not aspire to become a good cricketer. "It would be unrealistic if he or the media expects a repeat of his father’s statistics. It could be motivating or detrimental depending on the manner in which such players view their potential and not constantly strive to match up to their parent’s achievement or of the media and critics," said Dr Chaitanya.
Tendulkar summed up his request to the media with words that showed his maturity as a parent. "Arjun is madly in love with cricket. That’s what matters. I don’t want to put pressure on him whether he performs or not. You shouldn’t put pressure on him either."