Heroes versus role models: Should prodigies who skip exams be emulated?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of a hero is “a person who is admired by many people for doing something brave or good”. A role model is defined as “a person that you admire and try to copy”. Although they are commonly mistaken for one another, heroes and role models are not the same. While a hero is simply admired, people desire to emulate a role model.

 

This question of hero versus role model came into sharp focus when Indian batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's father, Sanjeev, revealed last week that his son would skip his class 10 exams this year to focus on the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With the tournament set to kick off next month, the 14-year-old is said to be practising with  Rajasthan Royals at their pre-season camp in Nagpur. Sanjeev Sooryavanshi added that if Vaibhav had appeared for the exams, he wouldn’t have been able to focus on his game. He also revealed that while his son is a bright student, his focus has completely shifted to cricket at the moment. Hence, Vaibhav did not appear for his class 10 CBSE board exam at the Podar International School in Bihar and was marked absent. This has set off a big debate, especially among parents: Vaibhav, who was named Player of the Match in the finals against England at the U-19 World Cup for his match-winning innings of 175 runs off 80 balls, is certainly a cricketing hero, but is he really a role model for other kids?

 

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was appointed the new brand ambassador for Complan in February 2026. As a rising star in Indian cricket, his association with the nutrition brand focuses on themes of growth, performance, and youthful ambition. And that is where the question comes up again: Does someone who ducks his board exams, even if he is a prodigy and a national hero, qualify to be someone other kids should look up to and emulate as a role model? To be fair, for Complan, Vaibhav is a good pick, for sure. But would sacrificing school exams, and, in a manner of speaking, putting studies on the backburner, go down well with ordinary parents?

 

A telephonic interview with 112 parents of school-going children by the Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) gave an emphatic 82 per cent thumbs down to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Of them, 71 per cent of parents said that they wouldn’t want their kids to have him as a role model even if he is an explosive batting sensation. “A hero is someone who inspires you. A role model is someone you want to be like. We are middle-class folks and I wouldn’t want my child to have a school dropout as a role model and want to be like him”, said a respondent from Amritsar. “Sooryavanshi is perhaps a one-in-a-billion prodigy, but our kids don’t have the same level of talent and will never earn the crores he earns.  However, it is easy for impressionable minds to believe that if he can skip exams, so can they”, added a parent from Pune. Others too echoed similar sentiments.

 

The IIHB team also interviewed 207 schoolkids in senior school. Interestingly, an overwhelming 91 per cent said he should not have skipped his exams. Most felt that despite his success and fame, he should have taken a break from cricket for his boards. One would have thought that younger minds would be more forgiving and would not mind the transgression, but approval ratings for the young batter were surprisingly low.

 

To some, this could well seem like a very middle-class, moralistic debate. But it is a strong moot point for brand managers. Does anyone really care that Sachin Tendulkar never really completed his school education? Yet, he went on to be bestowed a Bharat Ratna, no less. And he has earned crores and crores in riches through cricket and endorsements, with infinite fame.

 

But there is a backstory to Tendulkar, too, which many may not be aware of. Kapil Dev had been endorsing Boost for many years. Then, Sachin was slowly eased into the role in the mid-90s. Sachin was already a prolific batsman by then and a worthy successor to an ageing Kapil. But Boost sales suddenly plummeted. The brand handlers went into panic. Research was commissioned. Mothers said Kapil was tall and brawny. Just like they would like their kids to be. Sachin was short and lightly built. Not what I want my child to be, they said.

 

It is a true story. Complan can draw its own lessons.

 

The author is chairman of Rediffusion