Ajit Wadekar, who led India to historic series wins in the West Indies and England in 1971, has died at the age of 77. He had been suffering from a prolonged illness.

Wadekar, an aggressive left-hand batsman and an excellent catcher in the slips, played 37 Tests, scoring 2113 runs at an average of 31.07. His one century, a match-winning 143 at Wellington, came during India’s 1967-68 tour of New Zealand, where they won a series away from home for the very first time.

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It was a time when India, led by Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, were growing into a genuine force in world cricket. And it was Wadekar who, with Pataudi sitting out the tour of the West Indies in 1970-71, took over the captaincy, thanks to the casting vote of Vijay Merchant, the chairman of selectors.

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Fuelled by the batting exploits of Dilip Sardesai and the debutant Sunil Gavaskar, India would go on to clinch a 1-0 victory over Sir Garfield Sobers’ side. When they followed that up with another 1-0 win in England, inspired by BS Chandrasekhar’s 6 for 38 at The Oval, many considered India unofficial world champions.

Another series win, against England at home in 1972-73, burnished Wadekar’s standing as captain, but the end, when it came, was swift and cruel – a 3-0 series loss on the 1974 tour of England, which included the infamous 42 all out – still India’s lowest-ever Test total – at Lord’s. Sacked as captain after the tour, Wadekar announced his retirement.

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In later years, Wadekar served as India’s first ever official head coach, taking over in 1992 and overseeing a four-year period in which they were dominant on spinning tracks at home, memorably blanking England 3-0 in 1992-93. In December 2011, the BCCI conferred him with the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.

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