Pataudi likely to be discharged within a week: Doctor

Former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, receiving treatment for lung infection in a city hospital in New Delhi, is recovering slowly and is likely to be discharged within a week, a doctor attending on him said on Sunday.

He was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital because of interstitial lung disease (ILD), a condition in which the passage of oxygen to the two lungs is less.

"He is suffering from a disease which does not have proper or permanent cure. It takes time. We are giving him treatment to reduce infection. We are giving him oxygen supply so that he can inhale easily. He may be discharged some time next week," a doctor attending on him said.

Pataudi's son and Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan and actress daughter Soha Ali Khan are meeting him on and off while his wife Sharmila Tagore is with him all the time.

Pataudi, regarded as one of the finest Indian captains, played 46 Tests for the country, scoring 2793 runs at an average of 34.91 with an unbeaten 203 being his highest score.

In all, he smashed six centuries and 16 fifties in his career.