The tiger tales

Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was a great cricketer. His death has come as a loss to the whole cricket fraternity. Being sworn as the youngest Indian cricket captain, Pataudi changed the Indian cricket.

We wore eye patches

He had a good sense of humour and it was evident even in his early days as India captain. I recall one incident, after a practice session Tiger made us all wear eye patches and undergo a fielding drill. Most of us, agile fielders, couldn't catch cleanly. It was a fun exercise and Tiger was having the heartiest laugh. It was like him saying `you guys now know how good a cricketer I could have been'.

—Farokh Engineer

Great sense of humour

"On that 1968 tour to Australia there was a late night party and he wanted to play a practical joke (on the Aussie media). He told me to come up to him during the party and ask when was he going back to India for his wife's birthday and I did so. Next day there was a heading in the newspaper (of my returning back). He was that kind of a man"

—Chandu Borde

View from the square

I was lucky to watch Pataudi's 75 on a lively MCG wicket from square leg, where I stood as his runner. The ball was swinging, and the Indian batsmen ran for cover against Graham McKenzie and Co. He started lifting it over the inner circle. He put doubts in the bowlers' minds. I still remember how he belted McEnzie on that wet wicket with the injured hamstring.

— Ajit Wadekar

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