Rajat Subhra Chatterjee
Ten years back, in the evening of 22nd September, 2011, when suddenly Tiger Pataudi left for his heavenly abode, we were stunned. We wept, as he was lowered in the grave, not because he was an exceptional cricketer & captain but because, he was the last of a kind – the bridge between the medieval and the modern. With his passing, that ‘breed’ of Tiger is now extinct. Even after loosing full eye sight in the right eye, he came back from England to play Tests for India. Much later, to a question how he dared to play Test cricket with one eye, Tiger quipped : “ when I saw the English bowling ”. He was famous for his wits and humour.
Before him, India captains failed to bring to Indian cricket, two very important aspects of the game which were instilled by Tiger. Firstly, he could bring all the players, hailing from different parts of the vast country with different cultural and social background and different languages and dialects, under one umbrella. He could bring the ‘Indianness’ in the dressing room. Himself being younger to most of his team mates, Pataudi, still could command enough respect by eradicating the provincialism that was very much prevalent when Tiger took over. Discarding the ‘state/zone wise’ selection process, had been Tiger’s first major contribution to Indian Cricket which instantly elevated him to an altitude of a Leader of men unquestionably.
His second contribution was to inspire and motivate his team mates to field well. Pataudi made it very clear that one would not be considered for selection unless fielding is improved. He himself being a magnificent out fielder, could show the way. Now a days that we see a fielder sliding to save a ball was first demonstrated by Tiger Pataudi by chasing and sliding on his rubber soul, saving balls. He was extraordinary. And he got along with him players like Rusi Surti, Jaisimha, Borde, Sardesai, and created his close in back up with Engineer, Wadekar, Abid Ali, Solkar, Nadkarni in the slip cordon. At the same time, Pataudi could motivate few special spinners in the form of Nadkarni, Durrani, Prasanna, Bedi, Venkataraghavan, Chandrasekhar. Later, in a conversation, Tiger would comment with utter frustration – “ if I had one Kapil Dev … ”
As a Test cricketer and captain, Pataudi’s stats did not reflect the truth. Well, then who, when got the benefits of stats ? If he could have played with two good eyes, then perhaps his stats would have been five times more. The jeweled crown of the Royal Seat of Cricket would then have shown brightly on Tiger’s Head. Trevor Bailey, the Englishman believed before Pataudi lost one eye, that ‘Tiger was going to match the batting skills of Garfield Sobers’!!
Bishan Bedi has been quoted as saying : “Pataudi was the rarest of rare phenomena in Indian Cricket. He was way ahead of his times. He was often misunderstood as he had this aura of aloofness about him which erroneously created the impression haughtiness and arrogance. But who can disagree his monumental contribution to Indian Cricket ? ”
Still Tiger’s legacy will not be his cricketing prowess but the self belief he instilled amongst Indian cricketers. Pataudi himself never complained. He responded to his daughter Soha Ali Khan, – “ yep, I lost sight in one eye, but did not loose my vision. I had to adjust it.” Very true.
The Australians, in general, do not settle for a defeat before actually being beaten. This is ‘Australianism’. The father of this was one Ian Chappell, who, very surely has been one fine captain in the history of cricket. Even that Chappell has been floored with Tiger’s cricketing prowess, uncorking the bottle of Champaign. Pataudi and Chappell both had been very humorous and witty and at the same time both used to be connoisseurs of drinks. Yet, Chappell never fell short in upholding Pataudi’s cricketing brain. He chose specially the series in Australia during 1968 tour by the Indians. In that series, Tiger had lost one leg too due to hamstring injury along with one eye. And he negotiated bowlers like McKenzie, Conally, Reneburg, Mallet with one good leg and one good eye. The Australians had acknowledged Pataudi’s batting talent after witnessing his 75 & 85 at Melbourne and 48 & 74 at Brisbane. Well, with this there had been quite a few startling stories about Tiger on that tour. It will be odd to hear that Pataudi had gone on that tour without any of his own cricketing gears, except a pair of boots, socks, creams and shirts. Whenever his batting order used to come, he used to pick up pad, bat and gloves whatever was available at first sight and used to go out to bat. Just can not be imagined now a days !
Just a year back, in 1967, Tiger’s knock of 64 and 148 in the first Test at Headingly, England, was honoured by the English by conferring Tiger with the title- ‘Nawab of Headingly’. Well, the English thinks ten times before praising some one. But then, Tiger was already a Half-English.
I had seen Tiger playing at the Eden many times. In ’61, against Ted Dexter’s England, 21 year old Monsoor is still very much vivid. Still remember his 64 & 32. In ’65 against New Zealand, he steam rolled Dick Motz, Bruce Taylor, John Reid and scored 153. Bravery ! At the Eden in ’75, against the then fastest Andy Roberts, Holder, Julien, Boyce, his scintillating 36 after he was hit by Roberts in the jaw and even had to retire, went back in the middle after a visit to the hospital, has remained a breathtaking folklore of indomitability. I have still been in some sort of hallucination after watching his hundred and a half century in the same match against the East Zone in the Dullep Trophy at the Eden. Simply because, he faced the then best bowling attack in India – Guha, Chakraborty, Goswami, Doshi, Gopal Bose and Anand Shukla.
When Monsoor Ali had played the game, there was a touch of aristocracy, which never became professional ever. Else, how could it be explained when Pataudi, after loosing a keenly fought series 2-3 in ‘74-75 against the redoubtable Lloyd’s West Indians, was offered to lead the India side in the first ever World Cup and what did he do ? Simply quit the game ! In today’s concept, such aloofness can not be thought of. It was well within his grasp to lead India in the first ever World Cup. Stranger, after this, Pataudi never touched a cricket bat in life ! From ’62 till ’75 – India captain with a gap of three years in between !
I was not fortunate enough to get intimate with Tiger. I may count in fingers, two /three such columnists, I know, who were fortunate ones to be very intimate with him. Such was his persona. Kingly exterior. Subsequently, no one had that level of charisma, which was simply magnetic. I had few brief encounters with Pataudi. Let me share my experience of the very first and the last one in this space.
First time, it was at the Eden during the Test match against Mike Smith’s England in 1964. At that point of time I had easy access inside Eden being a permanent 12th man of a big club in the Maidan. So I was waiting at the stairs of the old pavilion of Eden on the first morning of the Test. Tiger was coming back from the net before toss. Bhairab Ganguly was standing by my side and asked me not to approach, yet I placed my autograph book as soon as Tiger came close to me. He looked up from the corner of his eyes, raising his panama and replied in baritone – “ Not now ”.
Even after this I could have got his autograph many a time but never requested. Last time perhaps I met him in 2007 at Hyatt Regency in Salt Lake in a diner ( why & how I got the invitation, can’t remember now ) of I C P A ( Indian Cricket Players’ Association ) for which Tiger has been the founder President since 2002. I got him that evening for a few minutes. He was clad with milk white ‘churidar, kurta’, a pair of kolhapuri chappal and the reading glass was nestling on his nose .
Two answers of my two questions are still ringing in my ear. My first was – why you still resumed after lunch with Durrani against Australia in 1964 Eden Test when after winning the toss, you offered the Aissies to bat and they were mercilessly staggering at 94/0 at lunch ? Tiger smiled and replied – “ Gut feeling ! And yes, I told Selim during lunch break that you will get five more overs. If you can make it fine. Else, its chapter for you. ” Post lunch, Bill Lorry was bowled. 97/1. Then Durani picked up one after the other, Bob Cowper, Peter Burge, Brayan Booth and Barry Jerman. Durani 6/73. Rusi Surti 3/ 38. Australia all out 174. Gut Feeling !
My second one was – in ’75 at Eden, when on the fourth evening Chandra was unable to make any impact on the Caribbean batsmen, what still prompted you to resume next morning with Chandra ? This time too came out the same answer from Tiger – “ Gut Feeling. I felt, if it had to be some one, he would be Chandra”. In that morning, in a span of five overs, Chandra picked up Lloyd, Kallicharan, Julien at the cost of 23 runs. How could India’s win be stopped !.
Gut feeling ! Intuition ! Instinctive !
A rare breed. A rare human being. A rare cricketer.
Image : courtesy : indiatoday.in
