One of India's most visionary captains and its youngest ever captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi lost his battle with pneumonia and died in Delhi hospital today evening. Pataudi as captain India for 40 of its 46 attempts, leaving his wife, yesteryear superstar Sharmila Tagore Sun Saif Ali Khan and daughters Saba and Soha Ali Khan.
"His condition has deteriorated since Wednesday, and he is unable to maintain his oxygen levels despite maximal therapy. He continues to stay in the ICU (intensive care)," news agency IANS quoted Neeraja Jain, senior consultant and head of pulmonolgy (chest medicine) at Sir Gangaram Hospital in central Delhi, which said earlier today.
The 70-year-old Pataudi was hospitalized in August with an acute lung inflammation. The condition does not allow normal passage of oxygen into both lungs. Patients exhale more carbon dioxide in the course of infection.
"This disease .... had been static since the last three months. Exacerbation very acute during the past four weeks," Jain told IANS post lung transplantation was discussed. "The possibility of lung transplantation was discussed very early, as soon as his condition worsened. But he was not a suitable candidate for it," he added.
India may have won only nine of the 46 tests under Pataudi, but it was under his wise leadership, India won its first overseas Test against New Zealand in Dunedin in 1968 en route to winning their first away series 3-1. Pataudi played three spinners in the team for most of his captain stint, when he said that India should play to their strengths. Pataudi, who was India captain at the age of 21, just months after an accident permanently damaged the sight in his right eye, scored 2,793 runs including six centuries and a highest score of 203 * in 46 Tests with an average of 34.91.
Mansur was nicknamed "Tiger" by teammates for his aggressive approach and flexibility in meeting.
He was born to Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, Nawab of Pataudi and his eighth wife, Sajida Sultan, Bhopal, 5 January 1941 and was educated at Welham Boys' School in Dehradun, creating Park Prep School in Hertfordshire, Winchester College and Balliol College, Oxford. Pataudi was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1964 and was a recipient of Padma Shri in 1967. Iftikhar and Mansur are the only father-and-son duo to captain India.
Pataudi served as an ICC match referee between 1993 and 1996, and he was also a consultant to the BCCI in 2007 and part of the first IPL Governing Council, but refused to continue in this role, according to Lalit Modi's sack as chairman in October 2010.
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