Brave Hearts

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

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The Brave Hearts
In 1964, Pataudi scored 128 runs not out in the first test that was played against Australia at Madras. He thus repeated the performance of his father who too had scored a century in his first test match against Australia. Like father like son. In the second test played in Bombay, Pataudi scored 86 runs in the first innings and 53 runs in the second innings at a time when the Indian team was virtually in a situation of crisis. India scored a memorable win in this test on the Vijaya Dashmi day. Under Pataudi's leadership, the Indian cricket team had leveled the series with Australia a team that was rated as a very strong team.
In 1967 in the first test played in England at Healingly, the performance of the Indian team was very poor. India could not face the mammoth total of the England side. In the first innings the Indian eleven could score only 164 runs. Falling short by 386 runs, India had to face a follow on. At that time Pataudi scored an unlikely 146 runs and that too in the company of the tail enders. The Indian team put up a respectable total of 510 runs. It was the highest score ever by an Indian team in the previous five consecutive tours of England. Pataudi's excellent all round performance injected fresh life in the otherwise weak batting side of India. Larry Constantine, the all-time great of the West Indies showered praise on Pataudi's performance in this match by calling it cricketing history's most courageous performance to date. A leading English newspaper, the 'Daily Express called it 'one of the greatest and finest centuries of the modern times.' The newspaper further added, 'England salutes the tiger' (Tiger is Pataudi's nick-name) for his performance.
The Indian team toured Australia in 1967-68. Pataudi's thigh was injured at that time. The doctors had asked Pataudi not to participate in the second test to be played at Melbourne
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