Nawab of Pataudi: the eye of the Tiger
It can only be a matter of conjecture what Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi would have achieved had he played with vision in both his eyes. But a physical disability brought about through a car accident barely months before he became India's captain, was cast aside so admirably through his vision for Indian cricket; a vision that simply put was: play to your strength, play fearlessly.
In hindsight, what Tiger Pataudi advocated looks like a simple two-pronged approach. But in independent India, the two tenets were not easy to come by. India winning the Hockey gold in the 1948 London Olympics, barely a year after the country's independence was not just a sporting triumph; it was a triumph of nationalism. But unlike hockey, cricket was still reeling under the colonial hangover. It was still a sport played for pleasure, played for representing the nation, but not for winning. The conviction that an Indian team could win was missing. Tiger Pataudi was the man who changed that.
It is a matter of regret that I never saw him play. But his legendary status in my mind, in fact, in the minds of numerous cricket fans has come to rest thanks to the stories that abound "our one-eyed hero". Every time I would mention Sourav Ganguly as Indian cricket's captain courageous, the older lot would be quick to point out that Pataudi did the same 40 years ago. He injected a never-seen-before attitude into the team, and gave a touch of heroism. Abject surrender, to him, was simply unacceptable.
Noted historian and cricket writer Mukul Kesavan, writing about Pataudi said: "He wasn't just the Nawab of Pataudi - he was a Tiger. For us it wasn't just a name, it was an attitude".
One can't even begin to imagine the determination of the man to play cricket at that level with one eye. On top of that he was, at 21, the youngest captain in the world. He was given the job in the West Indies after Charlie Griffith broke Nari Contractor's head and captained India in 40 of his 46 Tests, winning nine of them.
Just a few months before he became India's captain, Pataudi had lost his right eye in a car accident. Where others saw one ball, reportedly he saw two, seven inches apart. He had to pick the right one - the inner image - if he were to get bat to ball. And did he do that with panache or what. Six hundreds, including a double hundred, and 16 fifties bear testimony to his grit.
His first full series as skipper was against the visiting MCC side that toured India in 1963-64. Barring an unbeaten 203 in the Delhi Test, Pataudi didn't scorch the field with the bat, but India managed to draw all five Tests, which itself was no mean feat.
Later that year, he made two fifties against an Australian side led by Bob Simpson, that helped India win the Bombay Test in the three-Test series. He even scored an unbeaten century against the Aussies in the Chennai Test.
But it was three years later in 1967, when Pataudi's vision finally flowered. He was the first to advocate that India must play three spinners because that was their strength. And it was under him in this year when India achieved its first overseas Test win as they beat New Zealand. Most remember the 1971 triumphs in West Indies and in England, more so because they came against accomplished teams, but there is no denying the fact that India's win in New Zealand was crucial in giving the side belief in themselves. Tiger Pataudi had given India a belief: they could travel and win.
It is unfortunate that most of us will not have films of him to gasp at and admire his audacious strokeplay.
In the last one decade though one was fortunate to have had the opporunity to have listened to his sharp and incisive comments about the players, the administrators and the game itself. He was never one to mince his words and I am glad that he did not become a regular commentator of the game and meander into our everyday life. He was a prized voice with a prized opinion. And when he spoke, it mattered.
Tiger Pataudi may not have record wins to show for. And with a batting average of 34, he may not have batting records left behind to be broken. But he injected India with pride and with the belief that they could win. Indian cricket has come a long way since, but two things that Tiger Pataudi taught us should always remain intact: play to your strength, play fearlessly!
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