FORMER India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who died yesterday of a lung infection aged 70, will be remembered most for making his team competitive and respected in world cricket.
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 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 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.
