Brave Hearts

Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Eye Care Foundation

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Courage Personified Indies under the captaincy of Nariman Contractor, the Indian skipper was hit on the head by a ball delivered by Charlie Griffith the mantle of captaincy was passed on to Pataudi who then was only 21 years, two months and 18 days in age. He thus became the youngest ever skipper of a team in the world. As captain, Pataudi changed the very style of his playing. In place of the earlier slow and tiresome cricket, he switched over to a fast, attractive and result-oriented play. He became the first aggressive captain after the great C. K. Naidu.
His struggle to achieve new heights continued unabated. God is always on the side of the brave, so it is said. Thus Pataudi went on amassing one achievement after the other. In 1963 when he returned to England, Pataudi was again made the captain of the Oxford University team. This was indeed a rare event that an earlier captain of the University team was called upon to shoulder the same responsibility again. The great batsman Ranjitsinha, Duleepsinh and Iftikhar Ali Pataudi – all had played test matches on behalf of England, but none of them was asked to done the mantle of captaincy of the University team during their student career. In comparison Pataudi was made the captain of the Sussex county team although a player like Jim Parks who had played test matches on behalf of England in the past was available for the job.
For two years from the date of accident, Pataudi could not throw the ball with his right hand. In the course of time, however the effect of the injury sustained by Pataudi on his right shoulder in the earlier accident was gradually reduced. In 1964 captain Pataudi scored 203 runs not out in the fourth test played at New Delhi and thus became the only Indian batsman to have scored a double century against England until then.
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