(This story was first published on 5 January 2019. It has been republished from The Quint’s archives to mark the birth anniversary of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.)
Former Indian captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi passed away on 22 September 2011. Born on 5 January 1941, the Nawab of Pataudi was one of the pioneers of Indian cricket and was in fact the first captain who made India believe that they can be a driving force in world cricket, and brought aggression in the side.
The Quint takes a look at some little-known facts about the Tiger on his 80th birth anniversary.
Even though Tiger Pataudi, as he was known by his friends and family, permanently damaged one eye in an accident, he still went on to score close to 3000 runs for India.
Pataudi’s maiden century helped India win their first series against England.
Tiger led India in 40 Test matches, out of the 46 Tests he featured in.
Pataudi helped India get the monkey off its back, and register its first overseas Test series victory.
In an era when ODI cricket was only just finding its footing, Tiger Pataudi retired without playing a single short-format game.
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