‘My father lost his eye': Saif Ali Khan RECALLS Tiger Pataudi's greatest comeback, says he never talked about this as handicap

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Saif Ali Khan paid tribute to his late father Tiger Pataudi at the Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture 2026 in Kolkata. He recalled how his father lost an eye but made a remarkable comeback, adding, "He never called it an adversity. That's what defined him: composure."

Saif Ali Khan paid a heartfelt tribute to his late father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, fondly remembered as Tiger Pataudi, at the Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture 2026 held in Kolkata. During the event, Saif spoke about one of the most remarkable chapters in his father's life: the moment he lost an eye, and how despite that devastating blow, he made one of the most extraordinary comebacks the world of sport has ever witnessed.

Saif Ali Khan calls Tiger Pataudi's story one of sport's greatest comebacks

The actor said, "My father lost his eye just as he was maturing... I don't want to go on because I can go on about many aspects of his cricket, but he lost his eye when he was on the cusp of achieving something really, really great. It is one of the biggest disasters in sporting history and one of the greatest comebacks."

Saif Ali Khan reveals Tiger Pataudi didn't know he had lost his eye

He revealed that his father was not even fully aware of the extent of his injury at first, believing it to be nothing more than a shoulder accident.

"The doctors operated and said you have this piece of glass in your eye. You'll lose 99% vision. At one point they said if you wear a contact lens, you'll get 90% vision back, but it'll take a long time to adjust. So he came back from university, he was in Delhi and he was called to play a match against some visiting English team”, Khan shared.

Saif Ali Khan recalls how Tiger Pataudi changed his game

Saif then talked about what happened when his father wore the lens for the first time.

"He got 35 runs before lunch. Then took off his lens, covered his eye with a hat and then scored 70. And he was chosen to play for India. He said he had to change his game. He never talked about this as a handicap, never called it an adversity. Just something to adjust to, a fact. That's what defined him: composure”, he concluded.

Saif Ali Khan opens up about Tiger Pataudi's quiet confidence

He also shared a more personal and intimate side of his father, revealing that Tiger Pataudi was never the kind of man to boast about his achievements, even within the four walls of his own 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, who 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," said Saif.