A prince among cricketers and an inspiring leader, he transformed Indian cricket
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, one of India's greatest cricket captains ever and whose flair and acumen inspired a generation of cricke t players, passed away here on Thursday after battling a lung infection for the last few months.
The 70-year-old cricketer, one of India's early superstars and who was known as ‘Tiger' in the cricket fraternity, was suffering from interstitial lung disease, a condition in which the passage of oxygen to the two lungs is less than normal.
He is survived by his wife Sharmila Tagore, actor son Saif Ali Khan and two daughters Soha and Saba Ali Khan.
His entire family was at his bedside when the end came at 5.55 p.m.
“He passed away around 5.55 p.m. His condition had deteriorated since yesterday. He was suffering from interstitial lung disease (interstitial pneumonitis) which worsens rapidly in spite of the best treatment available,” Dr. S.P. Byotra, Department of Medicine in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said.
“He was unable to maintain his oxygen level in spite of maximal treatment. He continued to remain in the ICU for nearly a month. He had this disease which had been static for the last three months and worsened very acutely over the last four weeks,” the doctor said.
Pataudi was given leadership of the Test team in his fourth Test, when he was only 21, in Barbados in 1962, because the captain Nari Contractor was in hospital after getting hit on the head by Charlie Griffith.
Pataudi, who was also known for his amazing sense of humour, was the youngest Test captain, a record that stood until 2004. He led India in 40 Tests and had a successful career despite impaired vision in the right eye, which was damaged in a car accident. He also captained Sussex and Oxford University.
He scored 2,793 runs in 46 Tests at an average of just under 35 and made six centuries, the biggest of which was an unbeaten 203 against England in Delhi in 1964.
However, many experts rate his 75 against Australia in Melbourne in 1967-68 as his finest since he played that knock with an injured leg. Pataudi retired in 1975 after West Indies' tour of India. After retirement, Pataudi served as a match referee between 1993 and 1996, officiating in two Tests and ten ODIs, but largely stayed away from cricket administration. Under Pataudi's captaincy, India won nine Tests. It was he who instilled the belief in the team that it could win international matches. India achieved its first overseas Test victory under him, against New Zealand in Dunedin in 1968. India then went on to record its first overseas series win by beating New Zealand 3-1.
Pataudi was the ninth and last Nawab of Pataudi until 1971, when the Indian government abolished royal entitlements through the 26th Amendment to the Constitution.
Since 2007, bilateral Test series between India and England have been contested for the Pataudi Trophy, named after his family for their contribution to Anglo-Indian cricket.
Pataudi's father, Iftikhar Ali Khan, represented both England and India in Tests. Pataudi had taken ill since his return from England this summer after presenting the Pataudi Trophy to Andrew Strauss at the end of the four-Test series.
He was also a part of the first IPL governing council but refused to continue in the role in October 2010, when the BCCI made significant changes to the league following the sacking of Lalit Modi as its chairman.
Keywords: Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Pataudi death
Nawab of Pataudi was one of the greatest cricketer that India has ever produced. With only one eye Pataudi use to hit the ball better than if he had two. Famous Test cricket Comentator Maharaja of Vijaynagram,(Vizzy) instead of giving ball by ball commentary of the cricket match, talked only about Pataudi's capabilities as a cricketer and Vizzy association with Pataudi's father. We have lost a great sportsman and a great person May his soul rest in peace and our prayers are with the famous and greatest artist of all times his wife Sharmilla and their children Saif,Shoba and Soba.
Lives of great cricketers remind us that the game is great because of them and they are great because of the game.They departing us leave foot marks in the fields and land marks outside.Tiger is one such exciting captain and player in the world of cricket.Many fans would sure to remember his great century in chennai years ago.He was hitting the balls above and along the ground.He was out being caught on the boundary because he thought that there was no fielder there,this happened partly due to the loss of one eye and partly due to the fielder was standing in the shaddows. That was his glorious past.In Shakespeare play Julius caesar the character Mark Antony speaks"The Evil that men do lives after them,The good is oft interred with their bones." But under Indian culture we say good things only when people die avoiding speaking about their bad deeds.So let good deeds of TIGER live after him.
One wonders why so much hero worship, falling at the feet and praises are heaped. Pataudi is also known for his poaching.
Nawab's death is a real loss to gems of indian cricket legends and no one can fill up the space left by him.May Allah rest his soul in peace.
I salute to the brave heart, the Tiger as he is called.
Your article was sad and Painful to read. .One of the Handsome and Stylish Batsman ,Leading the Indian Cricket team for Many years.He is the Youngest Captain of the Indian team,inspite of lost one eye in a tragic accident,was to be applauded.His Loss was a Great loss to the CricketWorld. I Pray for this Departed Legend.
The Century by Jeffrey Archer."An Unnamed Oxonian has an ambition to succeed as a Cricketeer for Oxford and follow his famous Cricketeer father's footsteps. In his third year- he is the captain. He struggles with the ball and with the bat gets out for a duck in the first innings. At his score on 99, he is stranded in the middle of the crease and the ball is with the opposition captain Robin Oakley who instead of running the captain out and thereby putting Cambridge in a winning position chooses to allow the captain to go back to the crease. TheCaptain hits a boundary, scores his hundred and deliberately gets out hit wicket to honour the opposition.The match ends in a draw as rain pours down- thereby being the ideal situation expected for one and all. The story is reportedly based on the famous Indian cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan "Tiger" Pataudi . " A Gentleman and Cricketer. Stylish at that. God bless him.
Agile and alert ;Apt is the Tiger title. Handsome and Royal. I remember while giving commentary in a test In India against Australia ,he rightly predicted 'that we will go home for tea to celebrate Indian victory' on the 4th day afternoon itself. One should remember Australians as usual bragged that they would finish the match in 4 days and go for fishing! Frank and forthright he was. We will miss a nawab of cricket.
A great personality! An inspiring cricketer! I was watching one of his cricket match in 1960’s Hyderabad Fateh Maidan where he displayed an excellent sense of humor. It was a match being attended by almost full stadium capacity of fans. Pataudi was on the fielding side. A shot was hit towards the main pavilion and the ball was at a speed impossible to stop. Yet Pataudi ran after the ball as fast as he can run creating the impression he was going to stop it before it hit the boundary. The whole stadium fell into silence as everybody was concentrating perhaps wondering how he will ever stop the ball. The ball did hit the boundary and the empire declared four runs. Pataudi kept running and he ran straight crossed the boundary and into the pavilion. The whole audience was silent and watching when he will come out. He did not come out. A few minutes of time elapsed. Then the empire picked up the bells from the wickets and declared tea time. Now as the field players began to advance slowly towards the pavilion for tea break; Pataudi comes out of the pavilion waving his cricket cap, understanding his sense of humor and the joke he played, the crowd roars into laughter and applause. Pataudi was well liked by Abbas Ali Baig, Abid Ali, Sultan Saleem, and Abdul Hai all crkcketers of Hyderabad. He was also liked by cricketer Mir Najam Hussain of Bangalore.
From God we have come and to God we return. At this sad point of time l would like to share part of what I witnessed of this great personality. May his soul rest in peace, Ameen. May God give strength to his family members to cope with this tremendous loss, Ameen.
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