Wadekar: A shrewd captain and a thorough gentleman : The Tribune India

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Ajit Wadekar: April 1, 1941 — August 15, 2018

Wadekar: A shrewd captain and a thorough gentleman

AJIT Wadekar did not possess the princely demeanour of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, but with his middle-class grit coupled with pragmatic thinking, he scripted one of the most glorious chapters in the Indian cricket history.

Wadekar: A shrewd captain and a thorough gentleman

Ajit Wadekar



AJIT Wadekar did not possess the princely demeanour of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, but with his middle-class grit coupled with pragmatic thinking, he scripted one of the most glorious chapters in the Indian cricket history.

An astute thinker of the game, Wadekar blended the copybook Bombay school of batsmanship with his carefree approach that included muscular pulls and audacious hook shots. His biggest achievement was leading the country to twin series victories in England and the West Indies in 1971 but he was much more than just that. The man who breathed his last in Mumbai on August 15 played 37 Tests and had only one hundred against his name. But the numbers do not tell the complete story of Wadekar the batsman and captain.

Wadekar epitomised the khadoos nature of Mumbai cricketers but he could also enthral the cricket lovers with his audacious pull shots and slog-sweeps.  When the late Vijay Merchant (erstwhile chairman of selectors) handed over the captaincy to Wadekar in 1971, little did anyone expect that an Indian team would be able to compete and win in the alien conditions of England and West Indies. He was lucky that Sunil Gavaskar’s arrival coincided with his ascendancy to the hot seat but he should get the credit for throwing a 21-year-old to the deep end of the pool.

Add to it, his decision to form a four-pronged spin quartet with Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Erapalli Prasanna and Srininvas Venkatraghavan. That attack formed the backbone of the Indian team, with Eknath Solkar at forward short-leg snapping up some unbelievable half-chances..

It was an era when India used Abid Ali, Eknath Solkar or Sunil Gavaskar to take the shine off the new ball with their millitary medium pace.

If Gavaskar was the hero in West Indies, Wadekar unleashed Chandrasekhar on the Englishmen at a time which could be aptly called the ‘70s show’.

Wadekar was a product of a time when education was paramount and university cricket produced stalwarts. Wadekar was a late starter as he aspired to become an engineer before cricket consumed him. Mumbai’s old-timers recall that he was a very good student from his days at the famous Elphinstone College, where he got a princely Rs 3 as tiffin allowance for being the 12th man in a college match.  But the college principal had cautioned him against pursuing the game, reminding Wadekar that he was a science student.

But destiny had other plans for him. Wadekar would be remembered as the finest product of university cricket. His record triple-hundred in the Vizzy Trophy (for West Zone Universities) was incidentally bettered by Gavaskar. He was perhaps the most elegant left-handed Indian batsman to have graced the field before Sourav Ganguly arrived on the scene.

There is an interesting anecdote about Wadekar’s Test debut against West Indies at the Brabourne Stadium in 1966. A few days before the match, rival captain Sir Garfield Sobers saw a young man bat at the nets wearing tattered boots. Sobers asked him: “Why are you wearing torn shoes?” and pat came the reply from Wadekar: “These are my lucky shoes.” The next day Sobers bought a brand new pair of boots for him. Sobers told him to wear them during the debut Test. During a Ranji Trophy match in 1970, Wadekar broke his bat after scoring a century and substitute fielder Sunil Gavaskar rushed in with replacement bats, including his own. Wadekar hit four boundaries and then got out. When he came to the dressing room, he asked, whose bat it was and Gavaskar told him that it was his. “It brought you bad luck,” Gavaskar said, and Wadekar replied: “But those four boundaries were the best shots in the innings.”

Wadekar’s rise as a captain was as sharp as his fall but those were the times when BCCI mandarins believed in knee-jerk reactions and one bad tour ended his playing career at 33. Wadekar lost his captaincy after a disastrous England tour of 1974, when India lost 0-3 in the Test matches. And to humiliate him further, the selectors dropped him from the West Zone and Mumbai teams.

In the aftermath of the 1974 defeat, a giant bat erected in Indore commemorating the ‘71 win was defaced and his house in Mumbai was stoned. Wadekar retired from cricket and concentrated on his banking career. He reached the top position in State Bank of India, and in 1992, was summoned to take over as the manager of an under-performing Indian team and a low-on-confidence skipper Mohammed Azharuddin.

In the next four years, India were unbeatable at home with Wadekar unleashing three young spinners — Anil Kumble, Rajesh Chauhan and Venkatpathy Raju — on the visiting teams.

It was an instant success formula that teams follow even now. He had a brilliant sense of humour but knew when to crack the whip too. A former India captain was seen endorsing a shoe brand during a practice session of the India team. Wadekar saw it and did not say a word in public but didn’t forget to tell the cricketer how he felt about it. He got Sachin Tendulkar to open the innings in the ODIs, and the rest is history. He was the first coach-cum-manager who understood the need for man-management, trying to understand the psyche of each and every player separately. 

His father’s name was LB Wadekar and he would often jokingly say, “Mere toh naam mein hi LBW hain.” With his demise, Indian cricket has lost one of its finest cricketing brains, a statesman and a raconteur. — PTI


Served Indian cricket with aplomb

There’s hardly been a day when I haven’t mimicked his ‘arre kay re’ at least once, and not just me, even Sachin Tendulkar told me that he too says the same at least once a day. My captain is no more but he will always be with me when I say, ‘arre kay re!’ RIP, Captain — Sunil Gavaskar

We had differences of opinion but I always respected him. He was a fine batsman and a great close-in catcher. He served Indian cricket with aplomb as a player, selector and  coach RIP Jeetu! — Bishan Singh Bedi

He was a defensive captain but when the situation demanded, he used to up the ante and deliver the goods quietly. He went about his business without much ado. I will always remember him as a great leader and someone who never liked to lose — Erapalli Prasanna

Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Ajit Wadekar sir. He was instrumental in bringing out the best in us during the 90s. We’ll always be grateful for his advice and guidance  — 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 — Mohammed Azharuddin

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