The Nawab, a champion cricketer

Tony Becca, Contributor

One of the greatest names in cricket is the Nawab of Pataudi, probably the greatest name of the breed, the Nawab of Pataudi Jr, and, undoubtedly, in spite of his average, one of the finest batsmen India has ever produced has passed away.

On Thursday in Delhi, Mansur Ali Khan, titled the Nawab of Pataudi Jr, the son of Iftikhar Ali Khan, the original Nawab of Pataudi who played for both England and India, died of a lung disorder days after presenting the Pataudi Trophy to Andrew Strauss, captain of England, for their comprehensive victory over India during the summer.

Pataudi, or Tiger, as he was popularly known, was 70 years old. He played for India 46 times and scored 2,793 runs with six centuries, and a top score of 203 not out against England at an average of 34.91.

Significantly, he captained India 40 times, and although he won only nine Test matches after taking over at the age of 21 from Nari Contractor, after Contractor was hit in the head by Charlie Griffith before the Barbados Test in 1962, he is considered by many of the game's leading pundits as India's best captain - better than Vijay Hazare, better than Ajit Wadekar, and better than Sunil Gavaskar, the man they consider his country's second best leader.

Pataudi is rated highly because he transformed India from a country of self-doubters and non-performers to one which produced players who believed in themselves, a country which played to win, a country which, in using their best weapon in order to win, attacked the world with three or four spin bowlers, and in so doing, with Bishen Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bapu Nadkarni, and all-rounder Rusi Surti leading the way, won their first Test match overseas, against New Zealand at Dunedin in 1968 and turned that victory into a 3-1 series win.

Players under his captaincy

Other spin bowlers who played under Pataudi's captaincy included Srinas Venkataraghavan and Bhagwat Chandrasekharm, as well as all-rounders Salim Durani and Eknath Solkar.

Pataudi also captained Sussex and Oxford University.

When Pataudi toured the West Indies in 1962, he never played in the series before he took over the captaincy in the third Test at Kensington Oval so I never saw him in the second Test at Sabina Park. In the fifth Test, he made no impression, caught Rohan Kanhai bowled Wes Hall for 14 and bowled Garry Sobers for four.

Of his six Test centuries, however, although I never saw any of them, his 203 not out against England in Delhi in 1964 was a masterpiece.

India, led by a debut century innings of 105 from the late Hanumant Singh, scored 344. England scored 451 due to an innings of 151 by the late Colin Cowdrey, and then, in India's second innings, came the Tiger.

With B.K. Kunderan stroking a level 100 batting at number two, Tiger went to the crease and plundered the attack with 203 not out, with, so it is written, so it is heard, exquisite drives and delicate cuts.

The best of his offerings, the one I would have given anything to have seen, however, was his 75 versus Australia - versus Graeme McKenzie, Allan Connolly, Jonny Gleeson and company -at Melbourne in January 1968.

Stunning innings

Pataudi made 75 and 85 out of 173 and 352 as India lost by an innings and four runs, but it was the first innings on the first day of the match that people still talk about today, 43 years later.

He took to the crease shortly after the start of play with the scoreboard reading 25 for five and he went at 162 for nine after hooking and cutting eight boundaries.

The man, whose vision in his eye was impaired from a car accident while going to school and who suffered a hamstring injury to his right leg on the day in question, batted so brilliantly that those who saw the innings still marvel at how a man, on one foot and with one eye, could bat at all, much more so well.

I met the Nawab on my first trip to India in 1978-79. He was writing for Sports World. I sat beside him during the third Test at Eden Gardens, and when the match was over, with the hometown fans angry with the West Indians, with one of the stands on fire, with the fans gathering before the pavilion and chanting "West Indians go home, Kallicharran go home", I started to leave.

Tiger Pataudi said to me, Tony, where are you going?

When I said I am going back to the hotel, just across the park, he asked me if I was crazy.

Pataudi then turned to a security guard, asked him to look after me, and the security guard immediately called the army base nearby. A jeep with four soldiers came and escorted me, through the chanting Indians, back to the hotel.

I always remembered the Nawab for his captaincy, for his stylish, attacking batting and, most of all, for his kind gesture that January evening in Calcutta, now Kolkatta.

Was he among India's best batsmen, was he really the best Indian captain? I do not know. What I do know is this: he was one of the finest, most thoughtful Indian cricketers that I have ever known.