Ritesh Misra, Mumbai, 11 October 2025
I am a proud member of Pragati Sporting Cricket Club, Bhubaneswar, and a lifelong disciple of inspirational coach Kishore Mania. One of the proudest moments for all of us from Pragati was an amazing event when captains from three generations visited our club. The three captains were Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Rahul Dravid.
We at Nirvik have already featured Dilip Vengsarkar as one of our Icons. It is time to honour Ajit Wadekar in this month’s selection, followed by Rahul Dravid next month.
Ajit Ji made his first-class debut at the age of 17, and he played for India eight years later. As I have mentioned in several articles earlier, in those days, fewer test matches were played. Hence, in his 8-year career in Test cricket, he played just 37 tests in which he scored 2113 runs with 1 hundred and 14 fifties. Statistics do not do justice to the importance he had for the team, which was enhanced by his inspirational captaincy. Out of his 37 Tests, he was captain 21 times. His team defeated both West Indies and England in away tours, for which he will always be remembered fondly. He played just 2 ODIs, one of which was India’s first ever in which he scored an attractive 67. His only test century also came in an important series, in which India defeated New Zealand 3-1, and it was the first time India had won in an away series.
In domestic cricket, he was a giant. He played 237 matches in which he scored over 15000 runs with 36 hundreds and 84 fifties. His highest score was 323 in a Ranji Trophy semi-final against Mysore (now Karnataka) and the attack included Chandrasekhar and Prasanna. He played Ranji Trophy for 15 consecutive years, and Bombay won 14 times in those 15 years!
As a captain, Ajit Ji is accepted as being highly astute and strategic. In India’s win versus West Indies at Kingston, India was 170 runs ahead, and he asked Sobers to follow on, taking the West Indian legend by surprise because the deficit was less than 200 runs. Sobers took the matter to the umpires and they agreed with Ajit Ji because the match had been reduced to a 4-day affair, as a day’s play was lost due to rain and the requirement for enforcing a follow-on had come down from a deficit of 200 runs to 150 runs!
India defeated West Indies and then went on to defeat England as well in an away tour, making 1971 one of the most memorable years in the history of Indian cricket. He also led India to a win against England in a home series. However, his team lost 0-3 in a forgettable tour of England in 1974, and he promptly quit and retired.
Interestingly, when Ajit Ji became captain for the first time, it was due to the casting vote of the Selection Committee Chairman, Vijay Merchant, after Ajit Ji and Tiger Pataudi were tied 2-2 by the other 4 selectors. The modest skipper later said that the success of the team was due to the players, and he downplayed his captaincy, saying he was no Dhoni or Ganguly.
Much after his active career was over, Ajit Ji became a successful Manager of the Indian cricket team, and our Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar is on record that he brought out the best from the players in the 1990s, and that the players would always be grateful for his advice and guidance. He was also a popular Chairman of the Selection Committee. Only he, Lala Amarnath, and Chandu Borde have served as Test Captain, Manager, and Chairman of the Selection Committee. For his achievements, he has received the Arjuna Award, CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Padma Shri.
An interesting contribution of Ajit Ji to Mumbai is giving Mumbai one of its most famous addresses, Sportsfield in Worli, which is home to many International stars, including Ajit Wadekar, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Eknath Solkar, Yajurvindra Singh, and many more. Ajit Ji had the penthouse floor, while the floor below was that of Sunil Gavaskar, and Ajit Ji was very fond of saying this was the only way he could be on top of Sunil Gavaskar!
Ajit Ji was a thinking cricketer, and apart from being a good student of the game, was good in studies as well. He was a high-ranking official of the State Bank of India. Those who opened an account where he worked would receive an autographed bat from Ajit Wadekar, and Sachin Tendulkar also received one such bat when his sister, Savita, opened an account in SBI.
Ajit Ji passed away in 2018. Sir, you will forever remain an icon of India!
