The curious case of the cricketer’s dad who went to court and lost – Hit for a six

Pavishkar Indrajith was allegedly promised the captaincy of Pietermaritzburg's St Charles College's 1st XI cricket side for his matric year at the end of Grade 11. After a string of poor scores, he was dropped from the team purely on form (the argument of the coach), and his father then went to court to try and get his son re-instated alleging that he was dropped on racial grounds (a White coach dropping an Indian student).

By Michael Marnewick

The initial thought was that his appointment as captain in the first place surely removed any suggestion of racial bias against him. Taking the school to court tests the sanctity of a school to run its sporting affairs (like selection) and smacks of bullying. The case ended in the High Court where Judge Rashid Vahed dismissed the case in the school's favour.

In other words, sanity prevailed. If the boy had done his talking on the field – where it should be – the captaincy and a place in the 1st XI would not have been a problem. He was a talented youngster, of that there is no doubt (he represented KwaZulu-Natal Inland Under-19s), but when form deserts you, as it does to us all, then you pick yourself up and work harder to rediscover your mojo. Your father doesn't fight your battles in court.

Sadly, he is not alone.

Many parents live vicariously through their childrens' achievements, having themselves failed as youngsters. And with the advent of professionalism, a career in sport, a very lucrative one (Tiger Woods raked in around $78 million last year) is within the grasp of the truly talented, the truly great, and success at all costs over-rides the importance of the joy of participation.

And when parents are to blame, then it's a crying shame.

A vivid and horrific example of this occurred in 2000 when a Massachusetts' judge sentenced Thomas Junta to six to 10 years in a state prison for the beating to death of fellow parent Michael Costin in a fight after a youth hockey practice in which the sons of both men participated (for the same side).

On July 5, 2000, Junta twice got into an altercation with Costin, who at 71kgs was over 50kg lighter the 123kg truck driver.

The second fight proved fatal for Costin. The two men had argued over what Junta described as rough play during hockey drills that both men's sons were participating in at the Burbank Ice Arena in Reading, Massachusetts.

In April 2005, the father of a Texas high school football player shot and wounded his son's football coach because he didn't think his son was getting enough playing time, while in 1999, a parent was convicted of assault after giving $2 to a 10-year-old Little League pitcher to hit a batter with a fastball.

A referee told me he was referring a schoolboy rugby game. From behind him came a vicious clout to the head after a contentious decision was made and he was floored to the ground. Looking up, he saw a smirk on the mother's face.

In the case of Pavishkar Indrajith, the whole incident is moot. He matriculated at the end of 2013.