'There will never be another one like Pataudi'

I don't think there was a single budding teenage cricketer in the country who did not try to walk like him or have a stance like him. The open stance was unique since he had lost one eye and so opened his stance to get a better look at the bowler. We all tried to copy that but kept getting out bowled or leg before playing across the line. We couldn't copy his fielding since in that era he was pretty much a one-off who could slide and save the ball.

In a sense, Pataudi typified a 60s generation of romantic dreams, of chivalrous men and enchanting women who were enamoured with the idea of a Nehruvian India. If actor Shammi Kapoor redefined cinema in this period by wooing his heroines with passionate ardour, Pataudi changed the face of Indian cricket through his charismatic persona. He gave the sport a ‘star’ value, a new-found aggression that typified the spirit of a nation yearning to break free of its colonial baggage.

He was ... an innovative, dignified and much respected leader with a sharp sense of humour, adored by his players, envied for his calmness and intelligence, never one to reveal his emotions and always ready to turn defence into attack.