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NEW DELHI: Former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who died Thursday of a lung infection aged 70, will be remembered most for making his team competitive and respected in world cricket.
Nicknamed “The Tiger” for his brilliant fielding in the covers, Pataudi quit Tests in 1975 with 2,793 runs in 46 matches and six centuries despite losing the sight in his right eye in a car accident in England.
An inspirational leader, stylish batsman and superb fielder, he also made 15,425 runs in 310 first-class matches.
Born into an aristocratic and cricketing family, he emulated his father Iftikhar Ali Khan when he made his Test debut as a middle-order batsman against Ted Dexter's Englishmen in Delhi in 1961.
The senior Pataudi represented both England and India in three Tests apiece.
Mansur Ali Khan, who like his father was also known as the Nawab of Pataudi (ruler of the then Pataudi state) became the first Indian to captain Oxford in 1962, a few months after he lost his right eye in a car accident.
He adjusted his stance before going on to represent India with distinction for more than a decade in Tests.
Pataudi became India's youngest captain at the age of 21 when he replaced Nari Contractor, who suffered a head injury on the team's 1962 tour of the West Indies.
Pataudi was regarded as one of India's greatest captains who always stressed the virtues of aggression and winning despite having limited bowling resources at his disposal.
He made up for the absence of genuine fast bowlers by using the famous spin quartet of Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan to keep constant pressure on the opposition.
He led India to victory in nine of his 40 Tests as captain, and was at the helm for India's first ever Test series win abroad, in New Zealand during the 1967-68 season.
Pataudi lost the captaincy to Ajit Wadekar in 1971 before regaining it in 1974-75 against the West Indies at home in what turned out to be his last Test series.
He was bold and unorthodox as a batsman, not hesitating to play shots in the air. His maiden Test century, against England at Madras (now Chennai) in 1962, was full of attacking strokes, coming in less than three hours.
Pataudi was at his best against Australia in a three-Test home series in 1964, hammering an unbeaten 128 in the opening Test in Madras and 86 and 53 in the next match in Bombay (now Mumbai) to lead his team to victory.
In England in 1967, Pataudi smashed a half-century and a hundred in the opening Test at Headingley. His Test-best score was 203 not out against Mike Smith's Englishmen in Delhi in 1964.
Pataudi was also one of the greatest fielders of his era, especially when India were rarely considered a strong fielding side.
Pataudi is survived by his actress wife Sharmila Tagore, whom he married in 1969, two daughters and a son, Saif Ali Khan, who is a popular Bollywood actor.
