NEW DELHI, Oct 23: Indian cricket great Bishan Singh Bedi, one of the celebrated spin bowlers, breathed his last on Monday at the age of 77 after a prolonged illness.
Bishan Singh Bedi was a left-arm spinner who also captained the Indian team in 22 matches. Born in Amritsar in 1946, Bedi was an active cricketer from 1967 to 1979, played 67 Tests for India and took 266 wickets with 14 five wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul. He also played for India in 10 ODIs, bagging a total of 7 wickets.
He was the part of Indian cricket’s golden quartet of spinners, others being Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chadrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, who formed the core of India’s bowling unit for more than a decade between 1966 and 1978.
His younger peers revered him as a grand statesman of the sport, never shy on offering trenchant opinions on issues plaguing the game, or backing other cricketers. “Critics would call Bishan a rebel. Wrong. To me, he was a cricketer who knew his rights well,” former captain Kapil Dev wrote in a book on Bedi.
“He stood up for the cricketers, fighting for better match fees, travel facilities and accommodation… [He] made Indian cricket immensely proud.” Bedi was briefly the manager of the Indian cricket team in 1990 during tours of New Zealand and England. He was also a national selector and mentor to many talented spinners like Maninder Singh and Murali Kartik, who all swore by his technical insight. He was the longest serving Delhi Ranji team captain from 1974 to 1982 and under him the team became a force to reckon with in national cricket circuit.
“Extremely saddened by the passing of Bishan Singh Bedi ji. His immense contribution to cricket will forever be remembered. May god give strength to his family and loved ones!,” former India opener Gautam Gambhir wrote on X. R Ashwin, one of the modern-day greats with 489 Test wickets under his belt, also took to X to express his condolence. “Sad to hear about the demise of the great Bishen Singh Bedi, apart from being a great cricketer, he was an affable person and went the extra mile to help young cricketers,” Ashwin wrote.
Former India skipper Mohammed Azharuddin also posted his tribute. “I’m sorry to hear about Bishan Singh Bedi sir’s passing away. Sending my heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace,” he wrote.
“Sad to hear the demise of Shri Bishan Singh Bedi. Indian Cricket has lost an icon today. Bedi Sir defined an era of cricket and he left an indelible mark on the game with his artistry as a spin bowler and his impeccable character. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote on ‘X’.
Former BCCI acting president CK Khanna also expressed his grief at Bedi’s demise. “It was an honour to have known Bishan ji for so many years. Indian cricket will certainly be poorer due to his death,” Khanna said.
(Manas Dasgupta)