Tiger Pataudi was widely regarded as one of India’s most iconic cricket captains, and former India captain and World Cup-winning coach, Rahul Dravid, shared a deeply personal and insightful memory of his meeting with Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. In a moving recollection, Dravid recalled an interaction that left a lasting impression on him, not for what was said, but for how it was told.

“On a visit to Delhi, a mutual friend arranged a meeting with Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. He invited me to his iconic home at 1 Dupleix Road for tea on the lawns,” Dravid wrote. “As someone who had always admired his contributions to Indian cricket, I was in awe—until he immediately put me at ease. Pataudi wasn’t interested in being the centre of attention, nor did he indulge in self-praise. That humility struck me deeply,” Dravid noted in the book titled Pataudi: The Nawab of Cricket.

What followed was a casual, heartfelt conversation that revealed the core of Pataudi’s character. “It became clear to me then—Pataudi was effortlessly special. His easygoing nature, laced with self-deprecating humour, made him instantly relatable,” Dravid recalled. “He seemed completely at ease, even admitting, with a smile, that he didn’t watch much cricket anymore.”

But it was one moment that stood out above all when Dravid eventually asked the question that everyone wanted to ask, wasn’t it incredible that he played international cricket at the highest level despite his physical limitation?

Pataudi’s response was as understated as the man himself.

“Not really,” he said with quiet confidence.

“There had always been an aura about him—the brilliant sportsman, the sharp captain who unified Indian cricket,” Dravid added. “Yet, I had wondered if he might be distant or difficult to approach. That mystique, perhaps, only added to his legend. But in person, I found none of that. His so-called aloofness was simply shyness, not arrogance.”

The meeting, Dravid said, felt like talking to a neighbour—familiar, warm, and grounded. “That conversation stayed with me.”

Dravid also reflected on his early memories of watching Pataudi on television as a child: “One of my earliest cricket memories was watching home series on television as a boy and hearing Pataudi’s expert commentary. He didn’t say much, but when he did, it was sharp, precise, and insightful. With his experience and understanding of the game, he always seemed to land his analysis perfectly.”

Summing up his thoughts, Dravid wrote: “Over the years, I came to understand how special he truly was—not just for what he achieved, but how he carried himself. In a world where many try hard to stand out, Tiger Pataudi never had to.”

(With excerpts from the book Patudi: Nawab of Cricket By Suresh Menon)

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