If there was a weather forecast bureau for politics, Sharad Pawar could easily qualify for heading it. In his prolonged political voyage, the NCP boss has been fairly correct in fathoming the depths of choppy waters and the direction in which the wind flows.

Pawar does verify the strength of his own sails before he sets out to manoeuvre his boat, and if his sails are too weak to withstand the storm, he doesn’t shy away from boarding other vessels within his reach (in many cases, he has destroyed them after making it to his destination). He continues to live the expression ‘down but not out’ by playing like an all-rounder of superior quality in the most difficult match conditions. He preserves a rare expertise needed for fooling his opponents, who can hardly see what comes next from his arsenal.