Regarded as one of the greatest left-arm spinners in
world cricket, Bishan Singh Bedi passed away at the age of 77 years old in
Delhi, leaving remarkable spin bowling stats behind, on Monday.
Bedi is survived by his son and Bollywood actor Angad
Bedi, who is married to Bollywood actor Neha Dhupia.
The legendary spinner was known for his classical
beauty of motion and ability to maintain a precise length over lengthy
intervals while delicately altering his pace, trajectory, and release.
At the time of his retirement, he was Bharat’s leading
Test wicket-taker, with 266 wickets at an average of 28.71.
He featured in 67 Tests for Bharat between 1967 and
1979 and bagged 266 wickets. He took seven wickets in 10 One-Day
Internationals.
Bedi played a pivotal role in Bharat’s first ODI win.
His cheap bowling figures of 12-8-6-1 restricted East Africa to 120 in a 1975
World Cup.
He played Test cricket for Bharat from 1966 to 1979
and he formed part of the famous Indian spin quartet (Bedi, EAS Prasanna, BS
Chandrasekhar and S Venkataraghavan). The legendary spinner also captained the
national side in 22 Test matches.
Bedi, who was honoured with the Padma Shri Award in
1970, represented Northamptonshire in English county cricket for many years.
The legendary spinner was a master of flight and spin,
famous for deceiving batters with subtle variations. He was instrumental in Bharat’s
historic series victory over England in 1971, captaining the team in the
absence of the injured Ajit Wadekar. Under his leadership, Bharat developed
itself as a competitive cricketing nation.
Bedi had an illustrious domestic cricket career,
especially with the Delhi team, in addition to his international career. He was
a mentor to several spinners and made substantial contributions to the
development of young talent in India.
Bedi’s impact on the sport extended beyond the ground,
as he became a respected commentator and an advocate for sportsmanship and fair
play.
The Amritsar-born cricketer, who played domestic
cricket for Delhi, finished his career with 1,560 wickets in first-class
cricket – more than any other Indian.
He remains a respected personality in Indian cricket,
honoured for his artistry and dedication to the sport.
“Like most great bowlers, his variation was subtle. Of
all the slow bowlers of Bedi’s time, none forced you to commit yourself later
than he did. With tiny, last-second adjustments of wrist and hand-angle, he
could bowl successive balls that looked identical, perhaps as if each would
land on a length just outside off stump,” the England captain Mike Brearley
wrote of him as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
He was the leading wicket-taker amongst Indians in
First-Class cricket with 1,560 wickets in 370 matches. He played 67 Tests for
India between 1967 and 1979 and picked 266 wickets. He also took seven wickets
in 10 One-Day Internationals
Bedi, along with Erapalli Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar
and S Venkataraghavan, was the architect of a revolution of sorts in India’s
spin bowling history.
In the Australian summer of 1977-78, the Indian
cricket team – under the leadership of Bedi – displayed one of its grittiest
performances in the five-match Test series.
Even though the results were 3-2 in favour of the Bob
Simpson-led home team, Bedi’s team put on a mighty fight, clinching wins in the
third and fourth Tests – in Melbourne and Sydney.
Bedi was the Indian national team’s first professional
head coach in 1990 and emphasised fitness. After quitting the Indian team role,
he coached quite a few state teams and guided Punjab to its only Ranji Trophy
win, in the 1992-93 season.
He was chosen captain in 1976, succeeding Mansoor Ali
Khan Pataudi. His first victory as captain came in the third Test of the 1976
series against the West Indies in Port-of-Spain when Bharat set a new
fourth-innings total of 406.
Following this victory, Bharat went on to win the
series 2-0 at home against New Zealand.
ANI
