All the Wadekar's men: Teammates remember Ajit- the man who led them to success

Ajit Wadekar, who died of heart attack on Wednesday night, had few enemies. There was not one who did not like him. Be it his contemporaries in Bombay and Indian team, his friends and accomplices, and also journalists. He was cordial to everyone and obliged everyone of his admirers who approached with a photo or an autograph, or just a simple 'hello, how are you?'. And if he knew you by name, he would address by it.

Ajit Wadekar's demise has left the cricketing world in a bit of shock, with those who played under him having one common thing to say: “He was a fine human being”.

Here's how some of the playing companions remembered him:

BS CHANDRASEKHAR

"It is a real real bad news for me. I am shocked. It is very difficult for me to express in words what I am feeling about Ajit. He was a good man, a gentleman. He should have played Test cricket much earlier than he actually did. He started international cricket very late. He was a good batsman and good captain. He used to study the game well. He was a good student of the game. He used to plan well and do things accordingly. He always gave me confidence. When I was bowling well, he would tell me to carry on and not change the rhythm. When I was not bowling well, he used to say, 'don't worry, you will get it back'. He was super in the slip position. We had proven fielders close to the bat – Ajit, Eknath Solkar, etc. If I remember right, we last met in Detroit 2 years back when there was a function and we were invited."

(Chandrasekhar, leg-spinner, played in 58 Tests and took 242 wickets. He is the chief architect of The Oval Test win, taking 6/38 in England's 2nd innings to set up the win)

FAROKH ENGINEER

"It is a sad news about Ajit. He was a very different man, a lovely human being. Before Ajit was appointed as captain for the West Indies tour in 1970-71, I was supposed to be leading the side. But, they thought I and Tiger Pataudi were too flamboyant and that’s how Wadekar came in. We had a very good understanding, our eyes met as to where the fielders should be, what the bowlers should be doing. He had a lot of confidence in me. After the win in England in 1971, I could not come back to India for celebrations as I had a county match to play the next day. But Ajit always said that I should be coming and be in the forefront as I had a key role in India's historic win. I am surprised that he got only one hundred in Tests. But you don’t judge the quality of a person by his numbers. He had some very good people by his side, and I am privileged to say I was one of them. We had a very good working relationship, the same equation I had with Tiger Pataudi. I could tell the captain what the bowler is doing, what the batsman’s mistakes are as wicketkeeper is in the best position. He had a great spin quartet and were helped by Eknath Solkar at short leg and Ajit was himself a good slip fielder. It is always nice to meet Ajit every time I come to Mumbai. The world has lost a wonderful human being. He will be sadly missed by all."

(Engineer, wicketkeeper-batsman, played 46 Tests, and shared 781 runs in 19 Test innings with Wadekar including two century- and four-fifty stands)

EAS PRASANNA

"To be very honest, the news is really a shock. I used to call him Jitya. The last time I met was when at the BCCI awards in Bengaluru. He was looking okay but not too good too. We exchanged pleasantries. He was a man who played his cards close to his chest, and did not reveal much about his health. Our cricketing career started almost together. Of course, he scored 323 (his highest first-class score) against us Mysore (as Karnataka team was known then). He was one of the finest left-handers India ever produced. The way he approached life showed in his captaincy – the safety-first approach. He was well within himself, never showed his internal aggressiveness outwardly. In the Windies and England, he showed that if he was given an inch, he would take a mile. He proved that when India was in the driving seat, he could press the pedal fast. Of course everyone has plusses and minuses,but as a human being, he was excellent. The cricketing world will miss him. For the personal contribution he has done to both Mumbai and Indian cricket, his passing away is very sad. But as a cricketer and a human being, Indian cricket, and particularly Mumbai cricket, where he stamped his authority, will miss him."

(Prasanna, off-spinner, played in 49 Tests for 189 wickets. He played 8 Tests under Wadekar's captaincy)

KENIA JAYANTILAL

"He was a great man and a thorough gentleman. He never used picked up a fight with anybody. In team meetings he would say that we should go for a draw first and if we got a chance, will go for a win. He was a shrewd captain. On the 1971 tour of West Indies, we were playing Guyana in a tour game and the great off-spinner Lance Gibbs was also playing. Wadekar told us to give wickets to anybody but Gibbs as he would get selected for the West Indies and trouble us in the Tests. As it happened, we did not give Gibbs much and he did not get to play in the series thereafter. On that 1971 tour in England, Ajit got a little lucky in the second Test at Old Trafford. We were in a tricky situation 50/3 in the second innings and it started to rain and washed out the rest of the play. In that victorious Oval Test, he had good confidence in our spinners on a turning track. Ajit got everyone in the team together and that was the reason for the wins in Windies and England. His simplicity and helping nature were seen beyond cricket. He was so helpful with his bank colleagues and used to solve their problems. His character was so good that everybody used to love him."

(Right-handed opener Jayantilal's lone Test was under Wadekar's captaincy in Jamaica in February 1971)