Ajit Wadekar is one of the only three cricketers who represented India as a captain, coach, and national selector. The other two players are Chandu Borde and Lala Amarnath
Former Indian cricket team captain Ajit Wadekar, who led India to maiden Test series wins in England and West Indies, died at the age of 77, at the Jaslok Hospital in South Mumbai on Wednesday, after suffering prolonged illness.
The aggressive batsman left an indelible mark on Indian cricket despite making a mere 37 Test appearances. He led India to triumphs in England and the West Indies in 1971. Wadekar also served as India's manager in the 1990s when Mohammed Azharuddin was the captain. He later went on to become the chairman of selectors as well.
He is survived by his wife Rekha, two sons, and a daughter.
Ajit Wadekar as Indian cricket captain in 1971
In 1971, Wadekar was appointed the captain of national cricket team after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi opted out of the West Indies tour. He led the side that included players like youngster Sunil Gavaskar, Farokh Engineer, Gundappa Viswanath and the Indian spin quartet of Bishen Singh Bedi, E A S Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan.
Under the captaincy of Wadekar, Dilip Sardesai and debutant Sunil Gavaskar excelled with the bat and India went on to beat Sir Garifield Sober's West Indies side to clinch the series 1-0. After a successful Caribbean series, he went to England where his team defeated the home side, inspired by B S Chandrasekhar's 6 for 38, at The Oval, to win the series 1-0. Wadekar also led India to a 2-1 win against England at home in 1972-73.
The end of Wadekar's captaincy was, however, quite cruel. During the 1974 tour of England, he lost the series 3-0, which included the infamous match in which India were bundled out for 42 runs at Lord's cricket ground. Wadekar was sacked after the England tour and shortly after, he announced retirement.
Ajit Wadekar records
An aggressive left-handed batsman, Wadekar made his first-class debut in 1958 before making his India debut in 1966. He played 37 Tests in which he scored 2,113 runs at an average of 31.07. His only century, a match-winning 143 at Wellington, came during India's 1967-68 tour of New Zealand, where India won a series away from home for the very first time. He was also India's first ODI captain, although he appeared in just two matches. Apart from his batting skills, Wadekar was also an excellent slip fielder.
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