HYDERABAD: Tiger Pataudi was synonymous with Hyderabad cricket. His first tryst came in 1961 when he led the Board President’s XI against the visiting England team led by Ted Dexter at the Lal Bahadur Stadium. One of the team members was ML Jaisimha, who played as a sort of guide to Pataudi. But that match forged a new friendship between the two giants.
It was a long lasting bond that absorbed another gentleman cricketer Abbas Ali Baig to form the famous trio. “The three were close to each other but Pataudi was closer to Jaisimha,’’ said Sultan Saleem, one of the favourite batsmen of Pataudi.
The Pataudi connection to Hyderabad happened as the legend was not comfortable being in the Delhi Ranji team.
“On the advice of Jaisimha, Pataudi moved over to Hyderabad. He was enrolled as an employee of Jaisimha’s father Motganahalli Laxminarasu’s firm and made eligible to play for Hyderabad Ranji team iduring 1965-66,’’ recalls PR Man Siugh, who, in Pataudi’s opinion, is a good cricket administrator. Pataudi played for Hyderabad from 1965 to 1975.
Baig, now settled in Delhi, said their friendship was different from others. “It was one of the wonderful moments of our careers. My friendship with Pataudi began at the Oxford University in England where we played together in 1960. We later played together for the Hyderabad Ranji, South Zone and Indian teams. We loved each other’s game. We valued our game and our dressing.
We had unique friendship,’’ recalls Baig.
Man Singh, who travelled with Tiger on numerous occasions, particularly with Hyderabad Blues, says Pataudi never behaved like a Nawab. “He would mingle with all people. He loved eggs a lot. Once we went to Kerala.
He wanted to eat but the cooks did not understand English. So he himself went into the kitchen and cooked egg biryani,’’ Singh says going down the memory lane.
Saleem, much younger than the trio, says whenever Tiger stayed in Hyderabad, he would stay at Jaisimha’s house or at Fateh Maidan Club. “He liked the ambience.
He used to respect people a lot but always referred the late Ghulam Ahmed as Ghulam Saab,’’ said Saleem, who was the roommate of Pataudi for 12 years whenever the team was on tour. Saleem was all praise for Pataudi’s captaincy.
“He was one of the greatest.”