Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who was 70 when he passed away in a New Delhi hospital on Thursday evening after suffering complications in his lungs, was one of Indian cricket’s great stylists. Having lost most of the vision in his right eye in a car accident, he adapted to become a fearless batsman against pace bowling in home as well as away Tests.
India’s and world cricket’s youngest Test captain, who was forced to lead in an emergency in the Caribbean in 1962 when Nari Contractor was felled by a bouncer, Tiger Pataudi was a visionary who helped young Indian cricketers gain the confidence to face up to foreign teams.
Knowing he could not achieve greatness with his vision handicap, Pataudi egged colleagues on to achieve for their country. His innings under pressure were some of his finest, like some battling ones he played in Australia in 1967-68 when they waxed eloquent about him taking on the quicks with one eye and on one leg.
A flamboyant cricketer who was the finest fieldsman of his time, Pataudi was an enigma off the field. Educated in England, he was not from the same social strata as many of the players he led. But as captain he would do everything for his team abroad since many of his players were first-time tourists. However, in India, he would be withdrawn, going out with only close buddies who came to be known as Indian cricket’s “silk shirt” gang.
A practical joker in the best traditions of an English boarding school, he once ran a most elaborate joke on colleagues in a forest. Having Prasanna, Viswanath and others tied to trees deep in the jungle, he staged a kidnap drama that was beginning to look like their worst nightmare when Tiger descended as their saviour, rescuing them from masked men.
Knowing he had a fear of flying, which he had to overcome with several drinks before boarding a plane, his colleagues would get back at him by raising fears of violent air turbulence, even getting airline staff in on the plot with announcements over the plane’s intercom. He always laughed it off later.
In keeping with his flamboyance and princely lifestyle, there was also a fairy tale romance in his life that led to his marrying the accomplished Bengali actress Sharmila Tagore. His only son, Saif, and elder daughter Soha followed in their mother’s footsteps. He was also a reluctant participant in cricket administration, becoming an ICC match referee and then joining the IPL governing council for three years before quitting on a matter of principle.
Being in the mid-30s, his batting average may seem ordinary, but his contribution to Indian cricket was greater. Notwith-standing his elite public school education at Winchester, he was a cricket nationalist who taught a young team of a young nation how to stand up and fight. He will be remembered as much for that as for his greatness in overcoming the loss of an eye to be such a fine batsman and fielder.