Saif Ali Khan remembers Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi not just as his “Abba”, but also as his “hero” who overcame “one of the biggest disasters in sporting history” to stage “one of the greatest comebacks”.
Speaking at the Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture, a joint initiative by The Bengal Club and The Telegraph, presented by the Bhawanipur Global Campus and powered by Eden, Saif fondly recalled his father, a former India captain.
“Many people here knew Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, some people knew him perhaps as Tiger, a dashing and courageous batsman, one of the world’s best fielders, and one of India’s great captains who changed the way we played cricket. I knew him respectfully as Abba, a man of very few words who somehow said everything to us as a family that mattered.
“Sometimes you find superstars a little different at home, but he commanded as much respect in his house as he did on the field, never raised his voice, and was always there for us,” Saif said.
Cricket was not just a game for his family, Saif insisted. “Growing up, cricket was everywhere in our home. The gardeners, the drivers, people who worked for us, family, everybody played. Cricket was a great equaliser and taught us to respect people from a very early age.”
Speaking about the accident that rocked his father’s career, Saif said: “My father lost his eye just as he was maturing... I don’t want to go on because I can go on about many aspects about his cricket, but he lost his eye when he was on the cusp of achieving something really, really great. It is one of the biggest disasters in sporting history and one of the greatest comebacks.
“And as I grow a little older, I realise that remembering the past and honouring past heroes has become more and more important. And Tiger Pataudi was my hero.”
On the impact that sport can have on the society, Saif said: “Legacy is influence. It lives in how captains lead today and how young players believe in themselves, and in how sport continues to unite us in ways very few things can. And if my father was here this evening, he would probably be slightly embarrassed by all this attention.”