Ajit Wadekar: The unassuming commander – Almanack

Ajit Wadekar, who died a year ago, led India to two epic series victories in the early 1970s. His Wisden obituary established his credentials to be considered one of his country’s most significant leaders.

In the second over of the final morning of the decisive Oval Test in August 1971, with India 97 from a first series victory in England, Ajit Wadekar hesitated while attempting a single, and was run out. It left his side three down. Wadekar returned to the dressing room, lay on a bench, and fell asleep. As he dozed, his team carved a niche in the history of Indian cricket: he was woken to be told they had won by four wickets.

Earlier in the year, under his quietly authoritative captaincy, India had won a series for the first time in the West Indies. Now they had shrugged off decades of deference and defeats to win in England. Eighteen months later, they beat them at home to complete a memorable hat-trick: almost 40 years after their first Test, India had announced themselves on the world stage. Wadekar was fortunate to inherit a group purged of factionalism by his predecessor, Tiger Pataudi.

It had been a triumph for the undemonstrative leadership qualities Merchant had divined. “He didn’t make big speeches and I don’t recall him ever giving anyone a big bollocking,” said Engineer. The emphasis on fielding proved crucial. “We hardly dropped any catches in the West Indies and in England,” Wadekar recalled. “After batting in the nets, I used to get fielding and catching done for one or two hours. I saw to it that the specialist fielders trained properly. I was a good slip fielder and I knew exactly the kind of anticipation and reflexes you require.”

And he struck up a fruitful relationship with his deputy. “We had a really good rapport,” said Engineer. “We did not really have to talk about bowling changes and field placings.”

Victory in England increased interest back home, and the visit of Tony Lewis’s side in 1972/73 was eagerly awaited. England won the first Test, at Delhi, but India fought back to claim the five-match series 2–1, Chandrasekhar and Bedi sharing 60 wickets. From that high point, Wadekar’s fall was swift. On India’s return to England in 1974, they were thumped 3–0, including 42 all out at Lord’s, and – having led them in their first ODI – he lost the captaincy. An innings defeat at Edgbaston proved his final Test, and he played just one more first-class match. Memories were short: a giant bat erected in Indore to commemorate the 1971 wins was defaced, and stones were thrown at Wadekar’s Bombay home.

He returned to his career in banking, but in the early 1990s proved a success as India’s first permanent head coach, and also had a spell as chairman of selectors. “For me, he was always ‘captain’,” said Gavaskar. When news of his death reached the Indian touring team in England in 2018, the players wore black armbands during the third Test at Trent Bridge.