While Wadekar would sportingly accept when he was at the receiving end of some leg-pulling, he could also show his strict side. "After we won the World Cup quarter-final against Pakistan at Bangalore, a few from the team went out partying and Ajit was very upset. He insisted that we don't get carried away with the so-called euphoria of beating Pakistan. He wanted full focus for the semi-final which we unfortunately lost. The dressing room in Kolkata was a sad place to be in and Ajit kept his cool," recalled Patil.

"I developed my man management skills later, but at that time [in 1996] I wished I had some of Ajit's," said Patil. Wadekar was a part of Patil's life ever since he was a child in Shivaji Park. "My father [Madhusudan] captained Shivaji Park Gymkhana (SPG) and he used to get some players home for lunch during Kanga League games. Ajit, Subhash and Baloo Gupte, Ramakant Desai and Vijay Manjrekar were among those players who used to visit our home. I was in charge of the scoreboard at the Gymkhana, but I also remember occasions when I looked out of my window and saw all these greats walking towards my house with their spikes on. And when they entered the house, the sound of those spikes excited me no end," recalled Patil. He added: "I am amazed that he could deal with characters like MAK Pataudi [who he led in the 1972-73 series against England], ML Jaisimha, Salim Durani, Eknath Solkar and Ashok Mankad etc. It musn't have been easy and I doff my hat to him."

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Patil started admiring Wadekar at Shivaji Park. "We youngsters used to copy whatever Ajit did — his walk to crease, his strokes, the way he stood at slip, even the way he spoke. Shivaji Park has lost its darling, Mumbai and Indian cricket has lost a darling and I have lost my darling," concluded Patil.

15,380
No. of first-class runs scored by Ajit Laxman Wadekar

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