India's extraordinary visionary with limited sight -- Tiger Pataudi

I've been listening to ASHES coverage on the radio this week while reading about the history of CRICKET in INDIA.
One idol of the nation has emerged as my favorite.
MANSUR ALI KHAN PATAUDI, THE NAWAB OF PATAUDI until 1971 -- when India abolished royal entitlements -- is often considered India's greatest cricket captain, despite playing with permanent damage to his right eye.
Nicknamed "Tiger," Pataudi (1941-2011) was India's youngest captain, taking the reins age 21 -- just a year after having his eye permanently damaged in a 1961 car accident in England.
He is remembered for his charisma and determination on the field. Off the field, his extraordinary life included being married to BOLLYWOOD starlet Sharmila Tagore.
Pataudi led India in 40 of the 46 Tests he played in, winning nine of them, but also served revolutionize the nation's cricket in several important ways.
According to WISDEN:
"With a beguiling mixture of personal charm and tactical know-how, (he) forced the team to abandon their deep-rooted factionalism and become a disciplined fighting unit."
The country's cricketers had suffered from a collective inferiority complex in the years following 200 years of British rule.
Pataudi was both prince and a second-generation cricket star.
His father, also the Nawab of Pataudi, represented both ENGLAND and India.
The younger Pataudi helped reform India's selection process, as Wisden notes:
"(Under Pataudi) players were now picked on merit, not to satisfy some unwritten regional quota system."
Overcoming his eye injury demanded persistence and ingenuity.
According to Wisden:
"He found he saw two balls, but decided to hit the inner one. He soon settled on a method, pulling his cap down over his right eye to reduce the double vision and effecting a more open stance."
The modern Indian cricket side we know today -- the one that has a chance in any match -- owes much to a visionary who couldn't see all that well.
That's why I admire the Nawab of Pataudi.