Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi | The success tale of the one-eyed tiger

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was an Indian cricketer and former captain of the Indian cricket team. He was popularly called Tiger Pataudi and has accomplished a lot in the field of cricket despite the hardships he went through. A car mishap in the early 1960s resulted in complete loss of vision of his right eye. However his resilience and determination paved way to his remarkable success story. He never gave up his confidence and this was his greatest assets in his journey.

Mansoor Ali’s early struggles

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was born into a royal family in 1940. Sadly, he lost his father Nawab of Pataudi Senior at a tender age of eleven. While his father represented England he played exclusively for India and played 46 tests for India. He completed his schooling in England and started playing cricket from a very young age. Mansoor started his journey in the field of cricket with his Test Cricket debut in the year 1961 with a Test match played against England at Delhi. He scored 13 runs in the match. Just at the start of his career he encountered a major mishap.

Before Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi could prove to the world about his ability, he met with an unfortunate accident. In a head-on accident with another car, a splinter from the windscreen entered his right eye leaving him with double vision. This surely was a major blow for a young sportsman who had just started his journey. Mansoor was on the brink of his first break into the international circuit. He suffered serious injuries and lost complete vision of his right eye. Fans gave up hope and though he would never be playing again. But he had other plans. He was not ready to give up so easily.

Mansoor rose up stronger and followed his passion and made his debut for India in less than six months. He later stated in an interview, “I lost sight in an eye, but didn’t lose sight of my ambition. With a contact lens in my eye, I found I could get 90 percent of my vision. The only trouble was it made me see two of everything.”

He made remarkable progress in his field of expertise. At the age of 21, Pataudi became the Indian team captain. While no other player was ready to take up the captainship, Mansoor came forward. The match was lost but however this failure paved way to his later successes. Though his captaincy didn’t lead to a lot of successes, he had his own unique way of keeping the team motivated always. Each match he played, despite his handicap he always put in his best of the efforts. His self confidence and persistent hard work has surely helped him walk his way towards his remarkable success.

His Personal Life

Mansoor had a very steady relationship with Simi Garewal. Garewal also confirmed that she was dating Pataudi. The couple broke up when Mansoor Ali Khan met Sharmila Tagore. They married on 27 December 1968. They have 3 children, Saif Ali Khan, Saba and Soha Ali Khan. Kareena Kapoor Khan is his daughter-in-law and Sara Ali Khan is his granddaughter.

Mansoor died on 22 September 2011 due to respiratory failure at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. His body was buried at Pataudi Gurgaon District, Haryana.

Life Lessons from Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi’s Life

Mansoor Ali teaches the world about never losing your confidence. When you truly believe in your abilities you are sure to ace what you’re doing. Don’t let hardships pull you back into a shell. Break it and come out stronger. Always have a persistent vision in life and keep chasing your dreams. Success is not too far when hard work and determination are by your side.

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