Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was ahead of his teammates in terms
of thought and skills. The Indian team of his times had a defensive mindset,
but Pataudi played a pioneering role in helping the team shed the self-defeating
thinking.
His batting had the dash of modern day flair. It stood
opposed to the conventional school that did not believe in lifting the ball
over the in-field. In the Test series against Ted Dexter’s England
in 1961, Pataudi used the tactics productively and profitably to score 103 in 155
minutes as India
easily won their second successive Test victory and their first Test series win
against England .
Tiger’s batting was unorthodox which did not win the
approval of the purists. But it inspired his team which wasn’t used to exhibit
the daring skills of cricket. Patuadi’s batting pulled in the crowds.
As a fielder he was electric like Mohammad Azharuddin,
Yuvraj Singh and Mohamamd Kaif in the years to come. Subcontinental sides at
that point of time did not take fielding seriously as it wasn’t considered that
important. But Tiger’s brilliant fielding made his team realise that like
batting and bowling, fielding is equally important.
But more than his charismatic batting and quicksilver
fielding it had been his captaincy that has made him a part of Indian cricket’s
folklore. He was a game changer. To a nation which believed that a draw was
equivalent to a victory, he engineered refreshing victories. His captaincy was
daring and unpredictable. Pataudi’s India
were infuriating, but never boring. Under Pataudi ,
India India
never lost hope.
Pataudi could have been an ornament to modern day cricket. His
batting would have suited the overs-limit format; his majestic fielding would
have been invaluable bonus. And his daring captaincy would have been a
nightmare for oppositions.
He belonged to the rare breed like a Sir Don Bradman, Sir Gary
Sobers and the 3Ws who could fit into any generation, in any format of the game.
RIP, Tiger.
This article was published in Cricket Country on 23/09/2014 http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-fan/posts/Under-Pataudi-India-developed-the-courage-to-dream/post-2170/comments/page/1
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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