'The most charismatic cricketer of his generation'

"It is a terrible news for me, he brought me up and guided me. I can't even express myself, it is one of my saddest days. He was a great human being, a great cricketer, a great fielder, shrewd captain, it is really sad. He always guided the youngsters. I was very close to him, so I can't really forget the way he brought me up. He was my first captain under whom I played. Whatever career I had, it stands on him."
Former India batsman Gundappa Viswanath is crestfallen at the passing of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

"It is an extremely painful loss for me. Unbearable and shocking loss. He was one of the greatest captains to lead India. He gave a new face to Indian cricket and emphasised on the role of quality fielding. He was primarily responsible for developing India's spin quartet in an aggressive role similar to what the West Indians had later in form of the pace quartet. He always believed that teams have to bowl at least 80 to 85 attacking overs out of 100 overs."
Erapalli Prasanna the former India spinner, lauds Pataudi's captaincy skills

"It is a great personal loss, he was a very dear personal friend, he was my first captain, I learnt a lot from him. He was by far the best Indian captain to my mind of thinking. He was the first leader of Indian cricket who told everybody in the dressing room, 'look you are not playing for Delhi, Punjab, Madras, Calcutta or Bombay, you are playing for India. You are Indian." That left a very very good mark on the minds of youngsters who played under him.

"His faith in the spinners was absolute and we all prospered under his captaincy, he guided us so comfortably and serenely, the spin quartet had the highest regard for him... We won't find the likes of him in a long, long time. His voice cannot be filled. A great, great chapter of Indian cricket has come to a close."
Former India captain Bishen Bedi says we won't see another Pataudi

"Tiger Pataudi was the most charismatic cricketer of his generation. To bat with almost zero vision in one eye and still to score nearly 3000 runs and half a dozen centuries in Test cricket tells you what a genius he was. He will be terribly missed and it's a huge loss to the game of cricket."
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar puts Pataudi's achievements in context

"I am shocked to hear the news of Tiger Pataudi's demise. He was an exemplary individual, who guided Indian cricket to unprecedented heights, as batsman, fielder and captain. He revolutionised fielding standards in the Indian team, and across the country. In an age wherein a draw was considered as good as a win, Tiger Pataudi encouraged his players to go flat out for victory. He was an aggressive batsman who excelled in crisis situations, and showed the nation how to combat adversity. I join my colleagues in the BCCI to express my condolences at his passing away. His services to Indian cricket will never be forgotten."
BCCI president N Srinivasan pays tribute to Pataudi

"I am devastated, I had no idea he was in hospital ... he was a contemporary of my cousin Javed Burki, and what I heard from my cousins, and his contemporaries, had he not lost his eye apparently he was a genius of great proportions. Anyone who knows batting, it's difficult to play with one eye, specially fast bowling ... what he achieved with one eye, the sort of ability he had, what sort of a player he would become. In Pakistan, to us he was also a cricketer who was a crowd puller."
Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain, says Pataudi was a crowd favourite across the border as well