The Indian cricket captain from 1962 to 1970, popularly called Tiger Pataudi met with a nasty car accident in the early 1960s resulting in complete loss of vision of his right eye. This was just when he was at the threshold of a great future. He continued playing undeterred by this big blow and went on to not only continue playing the game but also captained the side. Regarded as one of India’s more successful cricket captains, Tiger Pataudi was the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1968.
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, fondly called Tiger has been an Indian Cricket player and the Captain of the Indian Cricket team. He has to his credit the honor of having been the 9th and last Nawab of Pataudi, a small Princely State which presently is a part of the Haryana state of India.
Early Life
He was born on the 5th of January 1941 in Bhopal to the 8th Nawab of Patuadi, Iftikhar Ali Khan. Having studied at Dehradun, Hertfordshire and Oxford, he became the 9th Nawab of Patuaudi after his father died in the year 1952.
Test Cricket Debut
Mansur made is Test Cricket debut in the year 1961 with a Test match played against England at Delhi. He scored 13 runs in the match. Very soon after beginning his Test Cricket career, he lost the vision in his right eye due to a car accident.
Captaincy
In the year 1962, he was named the Captain of the Indian Cricket team. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, also known as Nawab Pataudi Jr., is considered to be one of the most successful Captains that the Indian Cricket team has ever got in its history. He led the Indian team in 40 Test matches, out of which 12 had been won by the team. Although the winning percentage was not very high, he is best known for instilling the winning confidence into the members of hitherto low-down Indian team, and boosting their morale that led them to further victories.
Mansur is credited as the first Indian Cricket captain that got the team its much needed first Test victory at an overseas ground. This victory was achieved in a Test match played against New Zealand in the year 1968. He is also known for recognizing the fact that Spin Bowling was the forte of the Indian Cricket team, hence he utilized more of spinners against other strong teams to get the Indian team the maximum benefit in the Cricket ground. Apart from being a good Captain, Nawab Patudi Jr. is also known very well for being a good fielder too. Although his Batting Average was only 34 runs, he must have yielded way too far better results had he not been visually impaired with one eye.
Overall Performance
In his Test Cricket career, Mansur Ali Khan played 46 Test matches in which he scored a total of 2793 runs with 6 centuries and 16 half-centuries. His Batting Average was 34.91 runs and Highest Score was 203 runs not-out. He played his last Test match against West Indies at Mumbai in the year 1975, and scored 18 runs in the match.
He also served as an ICC Match Referee for a period of 3 years between 1993 and 1996. For his extra-ordinary performance as a Cricket player for India, Mansur Ali Khan had been conferred upon the Arjuna Award in the year 1964, and was named the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in the year 1968.