Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi Dies Age 70

Story by George Oborne on 2011-10-04 10:05:56

On the 22nd September 2011 ex India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi passed away at the age of 70. He was the last Nawab of the Pataudi and captained the Indian cricket team for 40 tests throughout his illustrious cricketing career.

Ali Khan Pataudi was educated in Britain and was enrolled at Winchester College School before moving on to Oxford University. He was a very successful cricketer at both institutions, captaining the 1st XI at both Oxford and Winchester.

As an Indian prince he might be mistaken as being part of a feudal system which saw much of the royal family instated in the Indian cricket team, regardless of their ability. Ali Khan, however, fought against this and spent his life encouraging and promoting players from all backgrounds to participate in cricket at the highest levels.

He very nearly missed out on having a cricketing career at all when he was involved in a car crash in England during 1960. After the accident he had double vision, yet insisted that when he saw two balls he would just play the inside one. He continued to play international cricket and as an aggressive batsman he earned himself the nickname 'tiger'. He was also a very keen fielder and was always animated in the field during a time when good fielders often went unrecognised, as pundits and players alike put a far greater importance on just the batsman and bowlers.

After playing in England during his time at Winchester and Oxford, Ali Khan was determined to implement a more professional attitude into the Indian game. As captain he developed a very competitive side, leading them to their first test series win outside of India when they defeated New Zealand in 1967-68.

Another historic series he was involved in was England's 1962 defeat in India, which represented a movement away from the colonial era and cemented India not only as a strong cricketing side but a strong nation as well.

As a Muslim, it was often difficult to lead a side that was so culturally divided, especially so soon after the partition between India and Pakistan. However, through his great character, integrity and humility he developed a side that played well together and became a symbol of something that united the entire nation.