Beyond Soft Words: Is 'FAFO' the Discipline Reset Indian Families Need?
Feb 22, 2026By Isha Gupta
The moment India wins a match, something similar happens across the country.
Chai gets made. Firecrackers go off. Uncles who haven't spoken to each other in weeks are suddenly best friends. And somewhere in your lane, colony, or building society, a child picks up a bat, runs to the nearest open space, and starts mimicking that exact shot they just saw on TV.
That child might be yours.
And you've probably wondered, even for a second, "Could this be the next big thing?"
Cricket in India: More Than a Sport, It's an Emotion
We don't just watch cricket here. We live it. We breathe it. We cry over it, argue about it at dinner, and somehow make it personal, even when we're just sitting on the couch.
Players like Surya Kumar Yadav have taken this emotional connection to a whole new level. SKY, as fans lovingly call him, didn't just become a cricketer. He became a vibe. His 360-degree shots, his cool head under pressure, his journey from waiting years for his chance to becoming one of the most exciting T20 batters in the world. Kids don't just admire him. They want to be him.
And that's exactly where your job as a parent begins.
Early Signs of Cricket Talent You Shouldn't Ignore
Talent in cricket isn't always loud. It doesn't always look like a six over the boundary wall.
Watch for these signs:
- They're obsessed, but in a focused way: Every kid loves cricket, but a genuinely talented child will want to understand it. They'll ask why a certain shot worked. They'll rewatch that one moment fifteen times. They'll practice the same stroke in the hallway until someone tells them to stop.
- Their body moves naturally: Good hand-eye coordination, quick reflexes, and the ability to read the ball early. These things show up even in street cricket. You'll notice it when you see it. There's a certain ease in the way they move.
- They handle failure differently: A child with real potential doesn't give up after getting out for zero. They sulk for five minutes, which is totally normal, and then they want to know what went wrong. That curiosity is everything.
- They're competitive without being aggressive: They want to win badly. But they also respect the game. That balance is rare and incredibly important.
The Hidden Danger: When Parental Enthusiasm Becomes Pressure
You've spotted something. Your heart is racing. You're already imagining the blue jersey, the crowd, the interviews. Slow down.
This is where many cricket dreams quietly die. Not on the field, but at home.
The pressure Indian parents put on their kids can be suffocating. Early morning practice before school, multiple coaching sessions a day, skipping family events, zero screen time, zero fun time, and suddenly, cricket, the thing your child loved, starts feeling like a punishment.
Passion needs room to breathe.
The players themselves have spoken about how much they love the game. That love didn't come from being pushed to the point of exhaustion. It came from genuine joy. From wanting to be on the field. From choosing cricket, again and again.
Your child needs to feel that choice too.
Finding the Balance: Support vs. Pressure
Support sounds like: "You played well today. What did you enjoy most?"
Pressure sounds like: "Why did you miss that catch? The coach must be disappointed."
We hope you are able to see the difference.
One builds confidence. The other builds anxiety. Anxious players don't perform; they survive. There's a big difference.
Some practical things you can actually do:
- Talk to a qualified cricket coach, not a random enthusiastic uncle, and get a proper assessment of your child's skills and areas to develop.
- Get them into structured coaching, but don't overdo the schedule.
- Let them still have time to play freely, goof around, and be a kid.
- Watch matches together and talk about the game. Not as a lesson, but as a conversation.
- Let them lead. If they're excited, follow that energy. If they're tired or losing interest, talk about it without making it a big deal.
And please, never, ever compare your child to another child. Not to the neighbor's son who apparently has a "perfect cover drive," not to some kid on YouTube, and definitely not to SKY. Your child is on their own journey. Let it be theirs.
Conclusion
India has produced some of the greatest cricketers the world has ever seen. And many of them started exactly where your child is right now. In a gully, with a tape ball, pretending to be their favourite player.
The talent is absolutely there in this country. It always has been.
What makes the difference is what happens around the talent. The environment. The encouragement. The patience. The love for the game that is protected, not pressured out of existence.
So yes, your child could be the next Surya Kumar Yadav.
But more importantly? They could be the first, one-of-a-kind version of themselves.
And that is even better.
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