New York: The legend of Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi is no more. Indian cricket’s most handsome chapter has come to a close.
We feel orphaned by Tiger’s demise. By ‘we’ I mean the “spin quartet” whom the good “Noob” nurtured with utmost care & affection. Tiger Pataudi was our first Test captain and we owe all our development to his dignified guidance. Tiger was our mentor all along and we achieved significant and swift progress under his superb leadership.
Many critics were unkind to Tiger, attributing the lack of encouragement to quick bowlers. Without sounding too pompous, please allow me to ascertain. Tiger was not cut out temperamentally to tolerate mediocrity. If he had total faith in the spinners, he went the whole hog to establish his belief.
Let’s acknowledge Tiger’s belief was not misplaced, or was it? Let me elaborate his lack of faith in medium pacers. In an Irani Trophy match, Tiger asked a promising quickie to bowl a yorker to a tired looking GR Viswanath. The bowler’s query was “on the off stump or leg stump?!” Such gaffes would result in Tiger having hearty laughs because he never missed the humour part of cricket.
At the same time he would suggest his job is not to coach but make the best of the material available to him. I can’t recollect Tiger making any psychological statements or indulging in any sort of gamesmanship. He was the finest gentleman cricketer of our times.
Primarily due to his exceptional behaviour on and off the field, cricket is still a gentleman’s game. I used to observe Tiger’s body language during a Test match very minutely. For him, no thrill was good enough to jump in joy and no setback was worthy of sinking in sorrow. Such a balanced head on very young shoulders was a providential gain of Indian cricket.
Tiger was born with a silver spoon but his humility was touching. Never the one to brag about his achievements, Tiger derived maximum thrill whenever the team won. Winning for him was the ultimate goal. Draw was never in Tiger’s scheme of things.
I am given to understand all leaders have shelf-life. In Tiger’s case, he was thrust there by circumstances way out of his control. He grew into the job slowly, but surely. To have captained 40 of the 46 Tests Tiger played, is a tribute to his cricketing intellect.
On the field Tiger was very much in the English mould. But off the field his Indian authenticity was admirable. His love for classical Indian music and his taste for the Indian cuisine was unparalleled. Tiger’s love for his mother was exceptional. With his immediate family of Sharmila, Saif, Saba and Soha, Tiger was like a man possessed. It gives me a great satisfaction to have known the Pataudis from close quarters. But now the void will be felt not just in and around Pataudi but in the entire cricketing fraternity.
A few months ago we had a get-together of former cricketers of Delhi. Tiger turned up with usual grace and dignity. The occasion was to celebrate Delhi’s first ever Ranji Trophy win. A few witty speeches were made and enjoyed by all. Then Madan Lal stood up and said something to the effect that all of us were in our mandatory overs!!!! Tiger laughed massively.
A pity he decided to complete his mandatory overs first, leaving all of us without any lead.
Cheers Tiger!!! RIP Skipper!
