Former Indian cricket captain Ajit Wadekar, who led India to their first ever Test series victories in West Indies and England passed away at the age of 77 in Mumbai on Wednesday.
An aggressive left-handed batsman, Wadekar died at the Jaslok Hospital in South Mumbai after a prolonged battle with cancer.
Cricket had come to him by chance and it was only after he met former Indian cricketer Baloo Gupte during a bus ride to the Elphinstone College that he started playing the game. But that could prevent the impeccable success he had in the Indian cricket circuit going on to become one of the country’s greatest ever captain.
It was under him that India not only beat the mighty West Indies and England in their own soil but also went on to win three successive Test series for the first time in their history – beating West Indies and England in 1970-71 and once again the touring English side in 1971-72.
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His contribution to Indian cricket despite not playing many matches – he played 37 Tests and two ODIs remains unparalled and many current and former Indian cricketers expressed their grief and offered their condolences on the demise of the legendary skipper.
The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) also took to social media to grief about the passing of the former cricketer, manager, coach and national selector.
Prime-Minister Narendra Modi who is very active on social media also expressed his grief on the passing away of the iconic cricket captain.
The Arjuna award (1967) winner also became the first Indian captain to win three successive series when India beat the touring English side 2-1 in 1972-73. He was also bestowed with the Padmashri award in the same year.
Wadekar went on to play 37 Test matches plundering 2113 runs at an average of 31.07 with 14 half-centuries and one hundred. He also played two One-Day internationals scoring 73 runs.
In first-class cricket, he represented Bombay and led them to four Ranji Trophy triumphs in 1968-69, 1969-70, 1971-72 and 1972-73 scoring 15,380 runs with 36 centuries and 84 half-centuries.
After retiring from the game in 1974, Wadekar went on to serve as the manager of the Indian cricket team during Mohammad Azharuddin’s captaincy in the 1990s. He remains one of the only three players to represent the country as a Test player, captain, coach or manager and the chairman of selectors. Lala Amarnath and Chandu Borde are the other two players to achieve this distinction.