A great cricketer, an excellent captain and a man who changed the Indian cricket. These were the first things that came to my mind when I read that he passed away. Later that night, when I was watching the news channels, i remembered my father recalling some of the stories about Pataudi when i was a school going, cricket crazy kid. My father fondly recollected "Tiger's" cricketing acumen.
To him Pataudi was a genius. He was one of the earliest people in Indian team who changed the way how fielding was looked at in the team. Prior to him, fielding was always the last priority, and the fielders used to do a lot of chasing rather then intercept the ball based on the speed and direction. Tiger brought his excellent anticipation to be at the right place when the ball was hit. He was also one of the best fielders in his time and brought this aspect to the team.
Pataudi was an inspirational captain as well. Under him, the spin quartet blossommed. He was instrumental in making our bowling a strong point in our several overseas wins in the years to come. He had the instinct to back the right players and give the confidence to the players. His batting was a delight to watch. My father used to quote several innings of Pataudi which were real gems. He recalled how stylish a player the Tiger was and especially his ability to come back to top level cricket despite his accident when he lost an eye. With just one eye, it becomes very difficult to get the depth of an object. But here was the guy who had to get adjusted to this difference in the normal life and then went on to excel in the field which does not spare anyone with a weakness.
He was a gentleman on and off the field. An aristrocratic behaviour did not put him off with his team. Post his cricketing days, I always felt that the Indian cricket could have utilised his cricketing brilliance better. But unfortunately it was not so.
Goodbye Tiger, RIP.
