Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi: The only man to play Test cricket for India and England

Photo for representational purpose. Picture Courtesy/iStock

A lot of people may know about Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, a Nawab, a legendary former India captain, as well as the father of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. However, not many may know about the legacy of Mansoor Ali Khan's father, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, who is the solitary man in cricket history to have represented both England and India on an international level.

Iftikhar Ali Khan, also a Nawab of Pataudi, made his international debut for England in the year 1932. He played in the infamous 'Bodyline' Ashes series and scored 102 runs in his first game where he batted at number 4.

However, he only went on to play a further two Tests for England, scoring a combined 42 runs across 4 innings, despite displaying blazing form at the first-class level.

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But that wouldn't be the end of his international career. Pataudi was named as India's captain for the country's 1936 tour to England but he had to withdraw from the series because of fitness issues.

He finally got a chance to play and captain India in 1946. Unfortunately, Pataudi was 36 years-old at the time and his prime was long gone. Despite racking up runs for fun against the County outfits that India played between the Test matches, Pataudi couldn't recreate the same form against England. He retired soon thereafter, averaging 11 in the 3 Tests he played for India.

(With inputs from ESPNcricinfo)