Sports play a vital role in shaping and building a healthy future for the youth of a country. Over the years we have seen a lot of families, who have a rich sporting culture. In cricket, the likes of Pathan’s, Pandya’s, Amarnath’s, Chappell’s, and Waugh’s have brought laurels to their countries by excelling in the same sport. But there are some cricketers, who family members chose a different sport to pursue professionally.
In this article, we will take a look at the five famous cricketers whose family members have played other sports professionally.
Dinesh Karthik’s wife Dipika Palikkal
India’s wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik’s wife Dipika Pallikal is an Indian professional squash player. The couple got married in August 2015. Dipika is the first Indian to break into the top 10 in the PSA women’s ranking.
She won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth games alongside her partner Joshna Chinnappa. Dipika also became the first Female squash player to be rewarded with the Arjuna Award. She was honored with the Padma Shri award in 2014.
Mitchell Starc’s brother Brandon Starc
Brandon Starc is Australian pacer Mitchell Starc’s younger brother. Brandon is an Australian high jump athlete. During his childhood, he also played cricket and football but decided to pursue athletics as a professional.
As a 16-year-old, Brandon won the Silver medal at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. He won the Gold Medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Bradon was part of the Australian contingent for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and finished fifth in the high jump event.
Shaun and Mitchell Marsh’s sister Melissa
Geoff Marsh was a former Australian Cricketer. His two sons Shaun and Mitchell are also cricketers, while his daughter Melissa was a former Western Australia professional basketball player.
Melissa played in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) and the State Basketball League (SBL). With the Willetton Tigers, Marsh won the SBL championships in 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011. She retired in February 2014.
Rodney Marsh’s brother Graham Marsh
Rodney Marsh’s brother Graham Marsh is a retired professional golfer. He was one of the leading Australian players of his generation. His first professional tournament was in May 1968 at South Australian Open.
During his playing years, Graham won more than 70 tournaments around the world, including 10 on the European Tour and 20 on the Japan Golf Tour. He won one on the PGA Tour in the United States, and the national Open titles in India (twice), Malaysia (twice), and Thailand.
Shoaib Malik’s wife Sania Mirza
Saina Mirza is a professional Indian tennis player. She began playing tennis at the age of six, turning professional in 2003. She won 10 singles and 13 doubles titles as a junior player.
Saina Mirza has won six Grand Slam titles in her career – three as Women’s doubles and three in mixed doubles. She is a recipient of the Arjuna Award (2004), Padma Shri Award (2006), and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2015).
