It could be legacy for some and pressure for others but Shaun prefers to look at it in a different light. "I don't see it as a burden. He is a normal dad to me and I am lucky that whenever I need advice I can go to him," Shaun said when asked about being in the long shadows cast by Geoff Marsh's achievements, both as a dogged opening batsman and as a fine cricket coach.

Shaun was in Bangalore recently as part of the Western Australian team to play in a series of matches against the Karnataka XI at Bangalore and at Mysore. Rain played truant with the schedule but in the first game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Shaun scored 56. And like the on and off rain he encountered here, Shaun's career too has been a mix of the smooth and the rough.

Shaun, a southpaw with a penchant for extravagant shots — in marked contrast to his father's doughty right-handed batting approach — announced his arrival with a century against New South Wales a few years back. The three-figure mark was pocketed with two consecutive sixes off Mark Waugh. It was a feat that pushed him into the spotlight while Steve Waugh applauded from within the inner circle.

That century however has proved to be a blessing as well as a bane as the pressure of living up to it has often undermined Shaun's other stints at the crease.

"That hundred against NSW was special. To play against Steve and Mark Waugh and to also have some fantastic players with us too – Justin Langer and Mike Hussey, that was special. And to bring that hundred with two sixes of Mark Waugh….that's probably been the standout innings. I need to build upon that and get more hundreds," Shaun said.

A first class career spanning 39 matches yielding 1925 runs at an average of 30.55 with three hundreds, does not reflect well on the 24-year old's batting ability and Shaun is keen to correct that. "I have been a bit inconsistent and last year was bad. Now I need to get back into our first team and be consistent. Yes I did discuss with dad and he is always good to get advice from but I tend to think that I need to work on it myself. I need to work on my shot selection and on my patience. I have worked very hard with coach Tom Moody and Trevor Penny and hopefully I will have a big year now," Shaun said.

The cheery lad who idolises Steve Waugh and Justin Langer and plugs into his Ipod `to relax his muscles' before he walks out to bat, is very realistic in his goals.

"I am not even thinking about playing for Australia at the moment. I got to play well for Western Australia this year and the next year. Need to score big hundreds and I hope this tour of India, my third as a player, will help me begin afresh," Shaun signed off.