Tale of two cricketers - Tiger Pataudi and Saba Karim
The former India keeper recalls how pep up talk from the legendary cricketer, who played with one eye, helped him when an eye-injury had left him devastated.
The Nawab of Pataudi has long been laid to rest at his ancestral burial ground.
And as time passes memories of his grandeur will fade away from the minds of his ardent fans. Memories of how the man, who batted with one eye, went on become India's finest captain; memories of his daredevilry that earned him the title - 'Tiger'; memories of his romance with the then Bollywood heartthrob Sharmila Tagore, who would later become his wife.
And those unbiased statistics, those numbers that were once considered a milestone will be gradually forgotten, but one man may never forget him. He is Saba Karim.
A decade ago, while keeping to Anil Kumble during Asia Cup in Dhaka, a ball hit Saba in the eye and changed his life forever.
From spending his time in nets, the fine wicketkeeper was forced to spend time in hospitals. Doctors would give him hope, but in their hearts knew that it was the dead end for his cricketing career.
It was then that Saba met Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who according to the keeper "made his presence felt without shouting from the rooftop".
"We spent considerable amount of time discussing our eye injuries," said Saba, of his interaction with the former India captain that took place in the winters of 2000. "Both of us suffered from similar kind of injury that is permanent impairment of vision in the right eye."
And it was Pataudi, who made him realise that it was time to accept fate and move on. He also helped him make those adjustments that in many ways made life worth living.
Pataudi described how difficult it was to bat in such a condition and the factors, which once were taken for granted, became important.
Tiger told Saba that he could never "judge the pace of the ball and never be in the right position to play it".
Depth found a new meaning for the keeper. From improving his all-round skills in the game, it now meant "trying to judge the trajectory of the ball". Once a full toss saw him walk back in a Test as he reacted late.
Then there was this other thing - "double vision", which left him at his wits' end. "I had to practice to pick the real ball to play." Often there were two coming at him.
"I had issues while batting and wicket keeping and found it extremely tiring and excruciating to play as one had to factor those areas all the time."
Praising the genius Saba said, "One can imagine Tiger's condition those days when he had to bat without too much of protective gear. It was his steely resolve and determination to overcome his loss of vision that eventually helped him to play with so much of success."
His conversation with Pataudi was in many ways was a wakeup call for Saba. "On my way out from his house, since I was so concerned about my injury, I casually asked him, how long it took him to recover? A chill ran down my spine when he said, 'Saba, I never recovered'."
- Former India cricketer Saba Karim spoke exclusively to India Today Online from Singapore