Saba Pataudi, sister of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, celebrated her father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi’s birthday by sharing heartfelt memories. Describing him as “the hero of my universe,” she expressed, “To Abba … miss you today. And every day. To the lives you’ve touched, to the captain of our home and that of the Indian cricket team… You donned many caps, and excelled in each.”
In honor of her father’s birth anniversary, Saba observed Quran Khawani and Sadqa, sharing that she commemorates the occasion annually. She added, “To many random pictures shared by some, taken by others… and to my tribute to you, as I do the Quran khawani and sadqa each year. Both in Bhopal and Pataudi where you belong.”
Actress Soha Ali Khan, Mansoor Ali Khan’s other daughter, also paid tribute to her father by visiting the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata. Sharing snippets of her visit on social media, she wrote, “On your birthday, Abba, I wanted to stand where the game remembers you. Eden Gardens may be empty today, but it is never silent for you.”
Soha reminisced about a significant Test match where her father played despite a fractured cheekbone. She recalled, “A ground you loved to play on, and one where you captained India many times — perhaps most memorable being the December 1974 Test against the indomitable West Indies. A ball from Andy Roberts struck you on the face, fracturing your cheekbone. You retired bleeding and hurt but returned to lead the side to an unbelievable victory by 85 runs. That Test at Eden went down as one of Indian cricket’s most iconic victories — a timeless example of grit and lion-hearted (or perhaps tiger-hearted) captaincy.”