Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

Lore & Background

Mansur Ali Khan was the son of Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, the last ruler of the princely state of Pataudi during the British Raj. After the death of his father in 1952, Pataudi succeeded him in receiving a privy purse, certain privileges, and the use of the title "Nawab of Pataudi" under terms accepted earlier when princely states were absorbed into independent India. However, all were ended in 1971 by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India.

He was educated at Minto Circle in Aligarh and Welham Boys' School in Dehradun, Lockers Park Prep School in Hertfordshire (where he was coached by Frank Woolley), and Winchester College. He read Arabic and French at Balliol College, Oxford. He made his Test debut against England in Delhi in December 1961, scoring 103 in the Fifth Test in Madras, helping India to its first series win against England. He became captain of the Indian cricket team in March 1962 after Nari Contractor was injured, and at 21 years and 77 days held the world record for the youngest Test captain until surpassed later.

He played in 46 Test matches for India between 1961 and 1975, scoring 2,793 runs at a Test batting average of 34.91, including 6 Test centuries. He captained India in 40 of his 46 matches, with 9 victories, 19 defeats, and 19 draws. His victories included India's first ever Test match win overseas against New Zealand in 1968. He also played 137 first-class matches for Sussex County Cricket Club, scoring 3,054 runs at an average of 22.29, and captained Sussex in 1966. He published an autobiography, Tiger's Tale, in 1969.

Reader's Guide

Pataudi was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler. Despite a car accident in July 1961 that permanently damaged his right eye, he learned to play with one eye and made his Test debut less than six months later. He found it easiest to play with his cap pulled down over his damaged right eye. He holds the record for facing the most balls in a single test match when batting at number six position in Test history (554).

Did You Know?

• Pataudi was a schoolboy batting prodigy at Winchester, captaining the school team in 1959 and scoring 1,068 runs that season, beating the school record set in 1919 by Douglas Jardine.
• He won the public schools rackets championship with partner Christopher Snell.
• He was the first Indian captain at Oxford University.
• He contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Gurgaon constituency in 1971 under the Vishal Haryana party, coming third, and again from the Bhopal constituency in 1991 as a Congress nominee, coming second.
• He married Sharmila Tagore on 27 December 1968; they had three children: Saif Ali Khan, Saba Ali Khan, and Soha Ali Khan.