Last updated on .From the section Cricket After leading India to their first Test series win in England, Wadekar captained them in their first ODI in 1974 Former India Test and one-day international captain Ajit Wadekar has died at the age of 77. The left-handed batsman, who led India to triumphs in England and West Indies in 1971, scored 2,113 runs in 37 Test matches between 1966 and 1974. Wadekar later served as coach, manager and chairman of selectors for India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wadekar was "a great batsman and wonderful captain" who made a "rich contribution to Indian cricket". "He led our team to some of the most memorable victories in our cricketing history", Modi posted on Twitter. Current India head coach Ravi Shastri said it was "a sad moment for Indian cricket". Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the former batsman<doc-sep>Sachin Tendulkar coming out after paying last respect to former India cricket captain Ajit Wadekar at residence in Worli on Friday. (Express photo by Prashant Nadkar) Sachin Tendulkar coming out after paying last respect to former India cricket captain Ajit Wadekar at residence in Worli on Friday. (Express photo by Prashant Nadkar) Sachin Tendulkar paid rich tribute to former India captain and coach Ajit Wadekar who passed away on Wednesday. His mortal remains were taken to a crematorium from his residence in Mumbai. Tendulkar stated Wadekar’s passing was an “irreparable and personal loss” for him.” Wadekar had passed away at a South Mumbai hospital at the age of 77 after prolonged illness. “This is an irreparable loss. I will say it is a personal loss. People know Wadekar sir as a great cricketer, but I was fortunate enough to see him as a great cricketer as well as a wonderful person. For me he was very important. Over the years our relationship grew stronger,” Tendulkar said while paying his last respects to the departed soul. Wadekar’s body wrapped in the tricolour, his cricketing cap placed on top was kept at his Worli residence for people to pay their last respects before the cremation at Shivaji Park. ALSO READ | When Ajit Wadekar spoke, everbody in the dressing room listened carefully, says Vinod Kambli Tendulkar remembered Wadekar’s contribution in shaping up his career. “Wadekar sir has a big contribution in my life, especially at a critical stage. I was a 20-year-old youngster at that time and it was easy for me to go off the track,” he said. “At that time I needed the guidance of an experienced person, who himself had played and performed at that level. He understood how to bring the best out of the players. I was personally benefited by his presence in the team.” Mortal remains of former cricket captain Ajit Wadekar being taken to crematorium from his residence on Friday. (Express photo by Prashant Nadkar) Mortal remains of former cricket captain Ajit Wadekar being taken to crematorium from his residence on Friday. (Express photo by Prashant Nadkar) According to Tendulkar, his bonding with Wadekar reflected on the field as well. “He wore multiple hats — a great captain, coach and more importantly as my friend. I could sit with him in the evening for hours and talk about anything. Our bonding reflected on the field also,” the batting great said. “He had the capability to segregate. Whenever there was discussions on cricket or during team meetings he was serious and focused. But when we used to sit for dinner, that time he used to take centre stage with his humour. He was liked by everyone,” added Tendulkar. Also present at the residence was former wicketkeeper and now BCCI General Manager (Cricket Operations) Saba Karim. He said, “All players of my age have followed him. He was a brilliant left-handed batsman. This is a great loss for the entire cricketing fraternity.” Sameer Dighe, Vinod Kambli, ex-hockey captain MM Somaiya, past and present MCA officials also paid their tributes. Wadekar’s body was taken to the Shivaji Park Gymkhana (SPG) in Dadar in Central Mumbai in an open truck. At the Gymkhana, former India cricketers Sandeep Patil, Nilesh Kulkarni, domestic cricket stalwart Padmakar Shivalkar and officials of the SPG also offered their last respects to departed soul. Jatin Paranjpe was also present at the Gymkahna, while his father Vasu Paranjpe was there at the crematorium. (With PTI inputs)<doc-sep>MUMBAI: The Mumbai Cricket Association MCA ) will organise a condolence meeting in memory of former India skipper Ajit Wadekar Wadekar (77) died at a South Mumbai hospital on August 15 after a prolonged illness. He was cremated on Friday with full state honours at the Shivaji Park crematorium in Dadar in central Mumbai. "A condolence meeting of the members of the affiliated clubs, cricketers and umpires under the auspices of Mumbai Cricket Association to condole the death of our beloved late Shri Ajit Wadekar, former India and Mumbai captain will be held on Wednesday, August 22 at 5 PM at MCA Lounge - Wankhede Stadium ," MCA Joint Secretary Prof Dr Unmesh Khanvilkar said in a media statement issued on Saturday evening.A left handed batsman par excellence, Wadekar led India to their first series win in West Indies and England in 1971. He also captained Mumbai.<doc-sep>To say that it is difficult to process the passing of a man who was your captain is an understatement. I came to know of Ajit’s death on Thursday morning and am still struggling to make sense of it. I met him through cricket but our friendship went way beyond the boundary. My first interaction with him was when I played against Mumbai in the mid or early 1960s. What struck me was Ajit’s class at a time when domestic cricket had more than capable left-handers in Ambar Roy and Milkha Singh. I had had the privilege of playing against a great such as Nari Contractor but Ajit had a unique style of batting. Against spinners, Ajit had the capability of allowing the ball to come to him and then find a way to place it between the fielders. It came to him naturally. I think Ajit was one of the most elegant left-handers I have been lucky to play with. I have played under him and also bowled against him. And I cannot still forget the 323 he scored against Mysore in 1967. It was unbelievable then and even after all these years, I can’t fathom how he was so comfortable against our bowling when most of his teammates were struggling. Ajit was also one of the most unassuming cricketers I have come across. He was calm, composed and seldom would he speak out and I suppose that is one of the great qualities required of a captain. He was the least expressive captain I have played under. Man of few words Ajit was a man of seriously few words but he knew how to get the job done. I think his background of being a bank executive helped him. He was well-versed in the art of man management and I think it was his job that taught him that. Ajit was a good SWOT analyst. ALSO READ: Ajit Wadekar was coach, friend and mentor: Sachin Tendulkar He had none of the exhibitionism associated with cricket these days but then we all played in an era where a captain would amble up to you and say ‘well done’ after you took a wicket. And you reciprocated with a ‘thank you’ and went on with your job. As a captain, Ajit would express his views but he would also listen to you when you said something contradictory. In the 1973 Test against England in Madras (now Chennai), he told me bowl tight in England’s second innings but I said I would attack because there was a lot of time left in Test. He let me do that and I took four wickets in that spell spell and India won. So, as long as the end result was what he wanted, Ajit was alright with the means adopted even if it was the opposite of how he wanted to get there. It isn’t as if we didn’t have our disagreements though over time they began to seem more like misunderstandings. I would sometimes feel that even when I was very successful, I wasn’t sure of my place in the side. But I realised that Ajit had to act as a captain --- and it couldn’t have been easy dealing with four quality spinners knowing you would always have to leave one, usually one of the two off-spinners, out --- and he did what the team needed. My second-best captain When he took over the captaincy in 1971, Ajit was a little apprehensive that many players wouldn’t give him their whole-hearted support because they were pro-Pataudi. We told him then that we are playing for India and it didn’t matter who was the captain. After Pataudi, he was the second-best captain I played under. Pataudi didn’t mind losing while chasing a win; Ajit did, maybe because he was bred in the playing grounds of Bombay (now Mumbai). ALSO READ | Ajit Wadekar: Top 5 moments from career of the leader who taught India to win overseas Maybe it was because of that apprehension that Ajit didn’t want to ask the West Indies to follow-on in the first Test of the 1971 tour. We convinced him to change his mind and almost won the Test. That gave us the confidence to think we could win the series. Ajit’s leadership, the extraordinary Sardesai and the super extra-ordinary Gavaskar helped us achieve history. It was also under Ajit that India were dismissed for 42 in England. Again there was a lot of speculation that the batsmen didn’t do their best but the unfortunate thing for India was that England bowled extremely well and we could not cope up. It was an accident. My mind’s now a jumble of memories; of evenings spent in Mumbai, of conversations, of the time we shared a dressing room for India and when we played against each other. Ajit was my captain for sometime but he was my friend of a lifetime and it is the friend that I will miss the most.<doc-sep>
MUMBAI: Former India cricket captain Ajit Wadekar , who died on August 15, was cremated at the Shivaji Park crematorium here on Friday with full state honours.Wadekar, who had led India to its first victory in West Indies and England in 1971, had passed away at a South Mumbai hospital after prolonged illness.Wadekar served Indian cricket in different capacities -- as manager, coach and a selector. A batsman par excellence, he was also the first to captain India in the One-Day Internationals.Wadekar's body was kept at his Worli residence this morning for his well-wishers to pay their tributes.Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar Vinod Kambli , Sameer Dighe, former hockey captain M M Somaiya and past and present officials of the Mumbai Cricket Association offered their prayers and condolences.BCCI general manager (Cricket Operations) Saba Karim also paid tributes on behalf of the Cricket Board.Politicians cutting across party lines, including Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also offered their prayers.Wadekar's body was then taken to the Shivaji Park Gymkhana (SPG) in Dadar in Central Mumbai in an open truck. At the Gymkhana, former India cricketers Sandeep Patil, Nilesh Kulkarni, domestic cricket stalwart Padmakar Shivalkar and officials of the SPG also offered their last respects to departed soul.Jatin Paranjpe was also present at the Gymkahna, while his father Vasu Paranjpe was there at the crematorium.Wrapped in the Tricolour, Wadekar's body was later was taken to the crematorium.A few of his well wishers remembered the late India captain after the rituals were performed.In the presence of family members and well-wishers, Wadekar was bid a tearful adieu as Mumbai Police gave him a gun salute.