The mention of Ajit Wadekar brings back memories of a competent batsman, a compassionate teammate, an astute captain and a real friend.I am deeply saddened by the news of his demise. Although we are all getting old, I feel that he could have continued for a few more years.I know talk about Ajit invariably leads to his captaincy, but my first memory of him is one of a fine batsman. Whenever Mysore came up against Bombay (as the teams were called back then), he got runs against us. Our first encounter was in Bombay and if I remember right, he got a triple century. An elegant player with shots on both sides, he did well on all occasions we faced each other. It’s not as if I found bowling against him difficult. He made batting against me look easy. I was surprised that it took him a fair bit of time to make it to the Test side.
I was in the team when he made his Test debut (against West Indies, Mumbai, 1966). Although he didn’t get runs in that game, his qualities came to the fore in the second Test in Madras, where he made 67 in the second innings (against Hall, Griffith, Sobers and Gibbs). Strong all around the wicket, he made things look very simple out in the middle. At least I could not find any weakness in him.
People often ask what was the chemistry between Ajit the captain and I the bowler. Being not so good at studying or remembering details, I can’t explain what was special about him. But what I can tell you is that he was great with details. He used to study batsmen and devise strategies accordingly. One could see that there was a lot of thought in his bowling changes and field placements. He was a good student of the game, one who remembered things.
As a bowler, I can say that I benefitted from the way he interacted with me. If I was bowling well, he would come to me and ask me to not get overconfident. If the going wasn’t good, he would still come to me and offer advice with encouraging words. With him around, I felt confident. He knew how to lift my morale and when to exercise caution.
If Ajit’s entry to Test cricket was somewhat belated, his exit too was premature. But it was always good to catch up with him, and we had a good time when we last met. We were in Detroit on somebody’s invitation. I am not sure exactly how long back it was. Probably a couple of years ago. It’s sad to know that those conversations won’t happen ever again.(Part of India’s famous spin quartet, Chandrasekhar spoke to Atryo Mukhopadhyay)
Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Ajit Wadekar Sir. He was someone who was instrumental in bringing out the best in us during the 90s. We’ll always be grateful for his advice and guidance. Praying for strength for his family during this difficult time.Sachin Tendulkar
Such an iconic person..deeply saddened by his demise!! Sir was a father figure for me.. May his soul rest in peace! My Heartfelt Condolences to the family Mohammad Azharuddin
V sad news-Ajit Wadekar passing away-only Indn Capt to win 3 series in a row-2 away 1 at home-ALW was good contemporary-we had differences of (sic) opinion but always respected glory of (sic) Crkt-fine batsman & great close in catch-served Indn Crkt w/aplomb as player/Selectr/Coach-RIP Jeetu!
Bishan Singh Bedi