Saif honours father Tiger Pataudi with cricketer Ian Botham: He was my hero

Actor Saif Ali Khan remembered his father, former India captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, with warmth and admiration at the Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture 2026 in Kolkata on Tuesday evening. Joined by cricketer Ian Botham, Saif said Tiger Pataudi remained his “hero” and used the occasion to reflect on his father’s life, his love for cricket, and the qualities he left behind.

Saif said the lecture was not only about looking back at Tiger Pataudi’s cricket career. It was also about marking the values he stood for, including leadership, courage, resilience and excellence. While the cricket world remembers him as one of India’s greatest captains, Saif said he remembered him first as a quiet father who always said what mattered.

Remembering his father

Saif said he knew his father respectfully as Abba and recalled that cricket was always present at home while he was growing up. "Everyone played - drivers, staff, family, cousin, gardeners. Cricket was always a great equaliser and taught us to respect people from an early age," he said.

The actor also spoke about the way Tiger Pataudi dealt with his eye injury. Saif said his father never described it as adversity or treated it as a personal tragedy. Instead, he accepted it as a fact and worked harder around it. Saif said that composure, as much as brilliance, defined his father. "He believed leadership was not about commanding attention, but about earning trust by being open and, above all, fair," Saif shared.

A change in mindset

Saif said one of his father’s biggest contributions to Indian cricket was the belief he gave players. At a time when Indian teams were often expected only to participate, Tiger Pataudi pushed them to think about winning. Saif said that change in mindset was one of his father’s most important achievements and helped Indian players believe they could dominate world cricket.

He also recalled that Tiger Pataudi hardly spoke about his own milestones at home. "At home, he rarely spoke about achievements. He rarely spoke about anything. My mother would be exasperated at dinners and get-togethers with people less informed than him would be giving their opinion. He would say no one asked me, but he wouldn’t speak, because no one asked him. It was a very different brand of confidence," Saif recalled.

Honouring his legacy

Saif said that with age, remembering the past and honouring past heroes becomes more important. "Tiger Pataudi was my hero, and I can go on and on about him all night," the actor expressed.

He said his father would probably have been slightly embarrassed by so much attention, but also quietly pleased that the discussion stayed centred on cricket, ideas and the future. Thanking the audience on behalf of the family, Saif said they were grateful that Tiger Pataudi continued to be remembered not as a figure from the past, but as a lasting presence in the spirit of the game.

On the work front, Saif was recently seen in Kartavya. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.