Nothing could be more dull and lifeless than watching, for hours together, someone throw a small sphere of leather with an aim towards three wooden sticks only to be disturbed by swing of yet another wooden stick (this time quite thicker) and then several people chasing that beaten leather to prevent it from going far and… yes, you guessed it right that’s cricket… and yes, I apologise to attribute some displeasing adjectives to your favourite, lively and exciting game.
Truly, in India cricket is more than just a game. Many argue, with much credence, that in our country being a cricket-aspirant is a phase in life. Most of the people outgrow this passion while many are consumed by this fever – with fervour – forever! I too have been a student of cricket. To dispel any confusion, it must be stated that the previous sentence does not imply any formal degree or professional experience at any level. It only means that as a student I too was interested in cricket statistics, cricket news, cricket stories and most importantly lessons from the cricket field.
This small write-up is neither a confession nor an attempt to judge cricketers or cricket enthusiasts. I am just writing down a soliloquy (one out of many) that I have had in my mind. Who was India’s all-time best cricket captain? My answer accompanied by its rationale lies below:
India’s all-time best cricket captain – while a crude number of wins may favour a Dhoni, a Kohli, a Ganguly or an Azhar as a natural choice for Best Skipper of India, yet I dare defy the numbers because statistics do not reveal everything especially not the context and significance of a particular knock or win. To me, M.A.K. Pataudi is the best captain that India has been able to produce till date. I am much too young to have seen him play, but those who witnessed his impact argue that India, still a minnow in the cricketing world then, learnt to win under his captaincy.
The elegant personality, charismatic leadership, stylish batting, acrobatic fielding and deployment of unprecedented techniques on the field – Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was this and much more.
Two qualities that make him stand apart from other captains (Indian or non-Indian) are:
1.His management of available resources (players)
2.His aggression and hunger to win
The drought of world-class fast bowlers, may not be a problem for the Indian team today, was an excruciating truth of his age. As a captain, he could not have produced fast bowlers by some magic wand, but instead of just cursing his fate, he did what a leader must do in tough situations. He accepted his reality but he didn’t cave in to the weakness despite acknowledging the same. Instead, he identified the spin as an Indian strength and nurtured the same as a lethal weapon. He developed and unleashed the spin-quartet (Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and Bishen Singh Bedi) that bamboozled many an opposition. The threat that this spin-quartet posed can be gauged to some extent from the fact that collectively this quartet has 853 test wickets among them in 1960s and 70s.
In short, Tiger Pataudi was the first who instilled the can-do spirit in the team India. Under Nawab Pataudi, Indian team played “not to lose” but “to win” no matter who the opposition were! Even as a batsman, he appears to be a class apart. In 46 tests he made 2793 runs @ 35 with 6 centuries and 17 half-centuries. He asked his batsmen and bowlers not to consume time on the pitch but to score runs and take wickets. He told his team that fielding is business. An athletic fielder himself, he would pounce upon the leather like a tiger. He backed up players during lean patches and continuously encouraged them on and off the field. In all, like a true leader, he led from the front.
Our heads are further bowed in respect for this great Indian player and skipper when we learn that all of these cricketing peaks in the international arena, he mounted with only one eye. Returning to the field after an appalling accident in which he lost his eye explains his attitude… and of course my choice!