Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was arguably one of the greatest captains India has produced. Tiger, as he was affectionately called, took over the reigns of Indian side at the age of 21, just a few months after losing sight in his right eye following a car accident.
But he didn’t let that setback come in the way of his game. Pataudi, born on this day in 1941, led the Indians in 40 of 46 Tests he played in and won nine of those matches. It was his astute leadership that instilled a sense of belief among the Indians.
It was under his leadership that India achieved their first overseas Test match victory against New Zealand in 1967.
He was an accomplished batsman who wasn’t afraid to hit the ball in the air, scoring 2,793 Test runs with six centuries, and that too with one good eye on uncovered pitches.
1965: Vinnie Jones, former Wimbledon and Wales midfielder and now an actor (51).
1976: Diego Tristan, former Deportivo La Coruna, West Ham and Spain striker (40).
1978: Franck Montagny, France’s former F1 driver for Super Aguri (38).
1968: Andrew Golota, Polish former pro boxer who won heavyweight bronze at the 1988 Olympics (48).
