Bishan Singh Bedi, former India captain and legendary spinner, passes away at 77

Former left-arm spinner, Bishan Singh Bedi. File.
| Photo Credit: V.V. Subrahmanyam

Former India captain and legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi handed away on October 23. He was 77-years-old.

Indian cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi through the cricket match.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives

Born in Amritsar in 1946, Bedi performed 67 Tests for India and took 266 wickets with 14 5 wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul.

He was the a part of Indian cricket’s golden quartet of spinners, others being Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chadrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, who shaped the core of India’s bowling unit for greater than a decade between 1966 and 1978.

His youthful friends revered him as a grand statesman of the game, by no means shy on providing trenchant opinions on points plaguing the sport, or backing different cricketers.

Bishan Singh Bedi, India’s versatile spinner meets Queen Elizabeth II of Britain at Lord’s cricket floor earlier than the beginning of the second day of the primary cricket check match between India and England at The Lords, London on July 23, 1971.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives

“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 ebook 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 supervisor of the Indian cricket group in 1990 throughout excursions of New Zealand and England.

He was additionally a nationwide selector and mentor to many gifted spinners like Maninder Singh and Murali Kartik, who all swore by his technical perception.

He was the longest serving Delhi Ranji group captain from 1974to 1982 and below him the group turned a drive to reckon with nationwide cricket circuit.

Condolences pour in

“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 (previously, Twitter).

R Ashwin, one of many modern-day greats with 489 Test wickets below his belt, additionally took to X to precise 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 additionally 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 performing president CK Khanna additionally 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 stated.