- Indian cricketing legend Bishan Singh Bedi passed away on Monday (Oct 23), after a prolonged illness, at 77.
- The former Indian captain was regarded as one of the greatest spinners to have ever graced the game.
- The legendary spinner played 67 Tests for India between 1967 and 1979 and picked 266 wickets.
- He also took seven wickets in 10 One-Day Internationals and played a key role in India’s first win in the format.
- Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi is survived by his wife Anju, son Angad and daughter Neha.
- Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur released a statement saying it was a ‘huge’ loss for the cricketing fraternity.
Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi passed away on Monday after a prolonged illness. He was 77 years old and is survived by his wife Anju, son Angad and daughter Neha. The legendary spinner played 67 Tests for India between 1967 and 1979 and picked 266 wickets. He also took seven wickets in 10 One-Day Internationals.
Bedi was an orthodox left-arm spinner who represented India in 67 Tests between 1967 and 1979, picking up 266 wickets at an enviable average of 28.71 whilst also earning 10 caps in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
His bowling action was described by his peers as the most textbook one out there. Countless cricketers to come after Bedi have described the influence the left-armer had on their bowling. He was appointed the Indian captain in 1976, succeeding the great Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi with his first test victory against the mighty West Indies coming at Port-of-Spain in the third Test of the 1976 series.
Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur released a statement saying it was a ‘huge’ loss for the cricketing fraternity. “Former captain of the Indian Cricket team, Bishan Singh Bedi is no more. This is a huge loss for cricket,” said Thakur.
Bedi, alongside BS Chandrasekhar, S. Venkataraghavan, and Erapalli Prasanna are regarded as the engineers of the revolution in India’s spin bowling history. Bedi also led Delhi to its first two Ranji Trophy titles — in 1978-79 and 1979-80. The team was also runner-up twice under him. Incidentally, the four finals came in a span of five years.
He was also one of the most successful overseas players in the English County cricket circuit, too. He featured for Northamptonshire in 102 outings, between 1972 and 1977, and bagged 434 wickets for the Northants, the most by an Indian in County cricket.
Bedi was the Indian national team’s first professional head coach in 1990 and emphasized on fitness. After quitting the Indian team role, Bedi coached quite a few state teams and guided Punjab to its only Ranji Trophy win, in the 1992-93 season.
The Amritsar-born spinner, who plied his trade for Delhi on the domestic circuit, was the leading wicket-taker amongst Indians in First-Class cricket with 1,560 wickets in 370 matches.
(With inputs from agencies
