There’s lot of money and fame in cricket today. But decades back people pursued the sport for the love of they have for it and didn’t care about the gains. Often parents want their children to study harder and excel at academics and become engineers and doctors.
Some players have faced opposition from their families and yet made it big in cricket against all odds. Here are five such cricketers who went against their families’ will to pursue a career in the sport:
1. Murali Vijay: The Tamil Nadu opener left his home for 6 months to follow his dreams of becoming an international cricketer, a career choice which his parents were not particularly fond of. Vijay eventually got selected for the Indian Test squad, scoring almost 4000 runs from 60 Tests.
- Manpreet Gony: Manpreet Gony’s star rose after he finished as the highest wicket-taker of the season for Chennai Super Kings in 2008. Bowling with pace and aggression Gony caught the eye of everyone and was soon enough representing India on the Asia Cup. However, Gony’s personal life has been a tumultuous one, suffering divorce, losing a still-born, and a strained relationship with his parents. Gony’s parents had shut the door on him when he chose to marry the girl he loved before the IPL came around. Even before that, they objected to his choice of career as cricket was not seen to be a secure career choice with a huge risk if it did not pay off.
