Opinion A captain like no other

In one match of that series,the Indian captain Nari Contractor was injured by a bouncer from the fast bowler Charlie Griffith,and the captaincy was handed over to Pataudi. He was a mere 21 years of age,and the vice-captain of the Indian side. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that several eyebrows were raised when the acting captaincy was given to Pataudi,because the team was not short of more experienced campaigners.

So the series turned into a test of his leadership. But he managed it admirably,and consulted the seniors of the side regularly. He never took any decisions unilaterally,and took into consideration everyone’s advice — whether it was about field placements or bowling changes,or even the batting lineup. He was fair in his assessment,and that endeared him to his teammates. He always maintained that each member of the team is a captain in his own right,and treated everyone equally and with importance. He displayed tremendous patience and was unmistakably calm in his demeanour at times of crisis on the field during that tour. He was particularly encouraging to the newcomers in the side,and constantly told them that they belonged. His graciousness and ability to get along well with anyone instantly made him everyone’s favourite captain.

Captaincy was a baptism by fire for him — a bitter tonic,in fact,as far as the challenges went — but he swallowed it with guts and paved the way for a career of able leadership.

It was on the same tour that the vice-captaincy came my way,and there was a constant exchange of thoughts and ideas between us which helped our cricket. He was blessed with an extremely comprehensive outlook and was a visionary in the truest of senses. We’d become close friends by the end of the tour.

Whenever he travelled to Pune for a match,we’d end up having meals together. Thousands at Pune’s Nehru Stadium will never forget his hurricane batting heroics during a First Class match. He was also a complete all-rounder. As a fielder,his nimbleness was akin to a cheetah’s. Just when you thought the ball would cross the boundary,he would accelerate his sprint and prevent the four just before the ropes.

His big heart and a brilliant sense of humour made him a much-liked team-mate and universally admired. He might have belonged to royalty,but there was no trace of any pride or conceit in him — ever. He could mix with anyone easily,and that was the reason there will never be another commander like him again.

Translated by Shivani Naik from the original Marathi in ‘Loksatta’. Borde took 52 wickets and made 3061 runs in 55 Tests for India.