There was some emotion in the air as the actor unveiled a plaque at the Hunter Tent cricket pavilion. It was all in the name of Tiger Pataudi, and a way to keep his story alive.
Why this tribute hit home
For Saif, being on the spot where his dad once put on his pads to bat made the day feel very much his own. ‘As a former pupil of Winchester College myself, it’s a great privilege to be here to put my father’s legacy in its place,’ he put it, reflecting on a campus that was no stranger to Tiger’s early successes.
He was thinking of more than just the game. ‘Winchester is where my father’s journey in cricket really got under way. You can tell from the way he talked about it – with a lot of fondness – that it was the friendships and the values there that made him who he was.’
A cricket legacy carved at school
The unveiling was part of the Wykeham Day get-together on June 13. It’s the college’s way of marking the summer with pupils, old boys and their families in tow. This time around, it was also a chance to pay respects to an icon of Indian cricket.
Since they are both products of the school, the occasion had a certain ring to it. ‘We are very proud and thankful that Winchester has seen fit to honour him like this,’ Saif said. ‘My feeling is that the plaque will be as much of an inspiration to the lads here now as the place was to him.’
Records thats still echo
Then there are the numbers. Sir Richard Stagg, the Warden, didn’t mince words when it came to Tiger’s time at the School. ‘He was a prodigy, if you ask me. He even put to rest a runs-in-a-season record Douglas Jardine put up in 1919. A source of no small pride for us at Winchester.’
But as the Warden pointed out, you can’t measure him by a scoreboard alone. ‘He became a fine cricketer and a leader for the country.’ There is a bond between the UK and India over the game, and in some ways, the tribute is to that as well.
What Winchester signalled with this plaque
To the people at the school, it’s not just about looking back. By putting his name on the pavilion, they’ve tied the past to the young ones on the field who have big ideas of what they can be.
Here is the short version of the day:
– The new plaque is up at the Hunter Tent.
– We saw it on June 13 for Wykeham Day.
– Father and son are both from the same alumnus pool.
– And yes, Tiger did top the 1919 Jardine record.
If you’re into the history of the sport, you’ll see the point. For the students, the takeaway is plain: you can build an international reputation right here in the practice nets.
Fans are watching Saif’s next moves
Saif let his father have the spotlight, but there’s no hiding the fact that he has a full plate. After his turn as a cop in the Netflix movie Kartavya, he seems to be in for a run of work.
Up next is Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan, with Akshay Kumar by his side; it’s a re-telling of the 2016 Mohanlal film Oppam. And later in the year, you can expect to see him in Hum Hindustani for Netflix.
In a way, the plaque is a nod to what was, but the day had a forward-looking edge to it. Saif left the square with a thought: that one line of text might be enough to make the next Tiger put on his gear and show the school what he’s made of.
