Ajit Wadekar
Cricket captain who led India to historic Test match series wins against the West Indies and England
AJIT WADEKAR, who has died aged 77, helped to establish India as a genuine force in world cricket for the first time in 1971, when, as captain, he led his team to Test match series wins in the West Indies and England. Until his appointment India had only ever won a series on favourable pitches at home or against the relative weakness of New Zealand, but Wadekar changed all that, leading his side to victorious away campaigns that boosted morale immeasurably.
Some jealous souls claimed that Wadekar was a lucky skipper. But both wins were fully deserved and came against strong sides. Wadekar led by example with disciplined batting and a quiet manmanagement style, instilling new confidence into his players and making the best of the assets at his disposal, including the emerging talent of the young opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar and a formidable line up of top-class spinners that included Bishen Bedi and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar.
He was also not above the odd bit of judicious chicanery: in the decisive Test against England at the Oval in 1971, a jittery Dilip Sardesai had dropped two crucial catches in England’s second innings, prompting Wadekar to have him removed to the pavilion with the excuse that he had picked up an injury. The man who replaced him as substitute fielder, Kenia Jayantilal, quickly pulled off a brilliant running catch to dismiss Basil D’oliveira that hastened the end for England, who collapsed to 101 all out and lost the three-match series 1-0.
After India knocked off the winning runs, hundreds of fans swarmed on to the outfield to celebrate the achievement, while back home, according to Wisden, “children garlanded wireless sets over which the cheery voice of Brian Johnston had proclaimed victory.”
Wadekar was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) on April 1 1941. He studied science at Mumbai’s Elphinstone College, but was more interested in cricket and made his first class debut for Bombay while still a teenager in 1958. Immediately he marked himself out as a future Test cricketer, yet had to endure a frustrating eight-year wait as the selectors put their faith in older players. His Test debut eventually came in 1966, against West Indies in Bombay, when Garry Sobers quietly presented him with a new pair of cricket shoes to replace the embarrassingly decrepit ones he had seen him wearing in pre-match preparations.
Left handed and elegant, batting generally at No 3, Wadekar proved himself an excellent reader of the Test game who could bat aggressively or defensively as the situation demanded. He scored 91 against England in his third Test at Leeds in 1967, followed by 57 in his fourth at Lord’s and then 70 at Edgbaston. He performed well on the 1967-68 trip to Australia and New Zealand, making his highest Test score of 143 at Wellington as India won the series against New Zealand under the captaincy of the Nawab of Pataudi.
When Pataudi’s long reign ended in 1970, the selectors turned to Wadekar, who was by now captain at Bombay. He drew his first match on the tour to West Indies in Jamaica in February 1971 and then won the second by seven wickets in Trinidad – India’s first win in the West Indies, with draws in the next three Tests.
In England that summer Wadekar set the batting tone against a strong line up that included John Snow and Derek Underwood. He scored 85 in the drawn first Test at Lord’s and, after another draw at Old Trafford, posted a valuable 48 in the first innings of the decider at the Oval, followed by an equally useful 45 in the second innings as India achieved their first Test – and series – victory in England.
Having never beaten one of the major Test nations away, India had now done so twice in a row, and Wadekar followed up by leading them to another series victory (2-1 over five Tests) against England on home turf in 1972-73. All looked assured until a return to England in 1974, when a 3-0 series whitewash included two thumping innings defeats and a collapse to 42 all out in the second innings at Lord’s – still India’s lowest-ever Test score. The selectors decided swift action had to be taken, and the captain was relieved of his job.
Given that in 16 Tests Wadekar had won three series and lost just one, the decision appeared harsh. He retired from Test cricket and played just one more first class game before stopping altogether aged 33.
In his 37 Tests he had scored 2,113 runs at an average of 31.07; in first class cricket he had 15,380 at 47.03 with a highest score of 323 for Bombay against Mysore in 1967. A fine slip fielder, he took 47 catches in Tests and 271 in the first class game and as captain he led Bombay to four Ranji Trophy triumphs in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Having worked with the State Bank of India even while playing, Wadekar largely stayed away from front-line cricket after his retirement, concentrating on his banking career. In 1992, however, he was drawn back as coach and then manager of India, working with the captain Mohammad Azharuddin during a successful period for the team until 1996 and spending a year as chairman of selectors in 1998-99.
Wadekar was successful in leading a campaign in the 1980s to persuade the state government of Maharashtra to build a housing block by the sea in Mumbai for retired sporting personalities such as himself. He moved on to the top floor of the Sportsfield building once it was completed in 1987, and in the apartment below lived the great Gavaskar, who with due reverence continued to call him “captain” until his death.
He is survived by his wife, Rekha, and by their three children.