Pataudi, Mansur Ali Khan (1941-2011), has been called the greatest team captain in the history of Indian cricket . From 1961 to 1975, he was captain in 40 of the 46 Test matches in which he played, winning nine. Pataudi took over as captain of the Indian team at the age of 21, the youngest Indian captain to that time. He has been credited with developing a fresh winning spirit to erase an attitude of defeat that had afflicted the Indian team as a result of many years of losing in international cricket. For an explanation of cricket positions and terms, see Cricket .
Pataudi was born into a royal family on Jan. 5, 1941, in Bhopal . His cricket career almost ended in 1961, when he lost most of the vision in his right eye in an automobile accident while attending college in England . He had been a promising batsman who starred at Winchester College and Oxford University . However, by the end of the year, he had recovered enough to be chosen to play for India in the 1961-1962 Test match.
Pataudi’s batting style was right-hand bat, and his bowling style was right-arm medium. He was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1968. Wisden is a reference book published in the United Kingdom that is considered the standard reference work for the sport.
In 1975, he played his final Test match against the West Indies. He ended his 20-year career in first-class competition in 1976. After he retired, Pataudi edited a sports magazine for several years. He died on Sept. 22, 2011.
The Pataudi Trophy was established in 2007. It is named for Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and his cricket-playing father, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi. The trophy is awarded to the winner of the England-India Test series held in England.
