Indian father-son duos who have excelled in sports

There have been a few father-son duos who have excelled in sports. While some father-son duos have excelled in the same sports, others have done well in different sports. Here’s a list of such fathers and sons.

Milkha Singh (Athletics) and Jeev Milkha Singh (Golf)

Milkha Singh is the most celebrated athlete in India. He has won four gold medals in Asian Games and one gold medal in Commonwealth Games. He also represented India in three Olympic Games from 1956 to 1964. He came fourth in the 400 metres final in 1960 Games. He finished the race at 4th place in 45.73 seconds, an Indian record that stood for 40 years. 

His son Jeev is sporting icon in golf. Jeev picked up the sport from his father Milkha, who used to play golf on a friend’s persistence after retirement. Jeev is the first Indian golfer to enter top 50 in world golf. In 2008, he was ranked 12th in the European Tour Tournament. In the same year, he topped the Asian Tour Order of Merit. 

Both father and son have been award Padma Shri for their sporting achievements.

Lala Amarnath and Mohinder Amarnath (Cricket) 

The father-son duo has etched their names in record books with their achievements on the cricket field. Lala is the first batsman to score a century for India in Tests. He captained India to their first Test series win against Pakistan in 1952. He is the only bowler to get Sir Don Bradman out hit-wicket. Lala scored 878 runs in 24 Tests and 45 wickets.

His son Mohinder was also a useful all-rounder. He was man of the match in the semi-final and final in Indian’s 1983 World Cup-winning campaign. He scored 4378 runs and took 32 wickets in 69 Tests.

Dhyan Chand and Ashok Kumar (hockey)

Dhyan Chand was nicknamed The Wizard or The Magician for his superb ball control and goal-scoring skills. He earned three Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. He scored 570 goals in 185 matches internationally from 1926 to 1949. 

His son, Ashok Kumar, may not have been as successful as his father, but he did served Indian hockey with distinction. He scored the winning goal in the gold medal match against Pakistan in 1975 World Cup. He was part of the team that won bronze in 1972 Olympic Games. 

Ramanathan Krishnan and Ramesh Krishnan (tennis)

Ramanathan was ranked as high as No 6 in the world. He reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon twice in 1960 and 1961 and the quarterfinals of French Open in 1962. Ramanathan won the Wimbledon Junior title in 1954. He was also part of the Indian team that reached the 1966 Davis Cup final.

His son Ramesh won not only the Wimbledon Junior title, but also the French Open Junior title. He enter the quarterfinals of Grand Slams 3 times (US Open twice, Wimbledon once). He was part of the Indian team that reached the final of 1987 Davis Cup. Like father, like son.

Photo of Jeev Milkha Singh and his father, Milkha Singh

Photo courtesy: Jeev's Facebook account