My father would've been touched, says Saif

Pataudi (Haryana), Sep 23 Actor Saif Ali Khan Friday thanked friends, family and fans who extended support following his father Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's death. He said the late Indian cricket legend would've been overwhelmed with the love.

'I would just like to thank everyone for their kind wishes. I would also say that he (my father) would have been very touched by the support and the wonderful things that the media has said,' Saif told reporters here, after Pataudi was laid to rest at his ancestral estate.

'I thank all his contemporaries and his fellow cricketers who have written such beautiful things in the papers, and indeed all his friends who have passed on their wishes to us. As a family, we thank you for your support,' added the actor, who, along with a few close family members and friends, led Pataudi's cortege.

Pataudi passed away in New Delhi Thursday, after battling a lung infection. He was 70.

Dressed in a white kurta-pajama, Saif offered prayers with Muslim clerics before Pataudi's body was lowered into the grave, while Pataudi's wife -- veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, son Saif Ali Khan's partner Kareena Kapoor, and daughters Soha and Saba -- watched the burial from the first floor of the Pataudi palace.