It is the inevitability of life that those who are born must die. But some deaths are more painful than others. The passing away of Bishan Singh Bedi on Monday marks one of the saddest days, not just for Indian cricket but also for world cricket. Bedi was destined to fight many battles, the chief among them being his challenge to the supremacy of Mumbai cricket.
Born in Amritsar, Bedi played for Delhi and North Zone. His entry into first-class cricket came at a time when Mumbai dominated Indian domestic cricket. This was not acceptable to Bedi, who decided to resist Mumbai’s supremacy when few dared to do so. While the southern state of Karnataka also played its part in breaking Mumbai cricket’s dominance, it was the challenge mounted by Delhi under Bedi’s leadership that proved to be more credible.
Karnataka truly had great players; Delhi only had Bedi. The spinner’s determination led him to knit a team of young cricketers who would eventually counter Mumbai’s hegemony in Indian domestic cricket. He nurtured talents like Arun Lal, Chetan Chauhan, and many others. Bedi’s first major contribution to Indian cricket came when Delhi emerged as a major force in the Ranji Trophy towards the late 1970s.
A man of morals
Bishan Singh Bedi was a pioneer in Indian cricket in more ways than one. But he was also a man of morals. On three important occasions, he showed the utmost courage and ethics.
Bedi’s first great moral stance came against the West Indies during a Test match at Sabina Park in 1976. The series hung in the balance when the West Indies resorted to unfair tactics by deliberately bowling bouncers with the intention of injuring the Indian batters. Bedi declared the innings at 306/6, fearing serious injuries to the lower-order. As captain, he put the safety of his players above the cause of winning a cricket match.
Bedi’s second stand for upholding the ethics of the game came during a home series against England in 1977. The left-arm spinner rightly accused English bowler John Lever of applying vaseline on his forehead with the intention of tampering with the ball. The English captain and the press defended Lever, claiming he used vaseline to manage sweat in the Indian heat. Bedi laughed it off, saying that a sweatband would have been a more logical and fair solution to tackle sweat. It’s worth noting that, at the time, Bedi had a contract with the English county Northants, but he put the integrity of Indian cricket above himself.
A year later, in 1978, during the third ODI of India’s tour of Pakistan, Bedi once again took an ethical stance by forfeiting the match because Pakistani bowlers started bowling short-pitch deliveries to prevent Indian batters from scoring the required runs to win the game. India was on the verge of sealing a series win, but Bedi decided to concede the match due to Pakistan’s unethical tactics and poor umpiring decisions that complemented them by not declaring wides.
Also read: God put ball in Bishan Singh Bedi’s hand, said ‘Go spin for India’—That’s not how it happened
Standing up to power
Bishan Singh Bedi’s life is one of the richest among Indian Test cricketers. He was one of the first to speak up for players’ rights by frequently taking on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Bedi was in conflict with his own cricket board on many occasions for demanding more for his players.
He also constantly took up ethical battles to restore morality in Indian cricket. One such resistance came in the form of his desire to reform the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). Throughout his cricketing life, Bedi had worked hard to bring glory to Delhi cricket and it pained him to see the DDCA being run by less competent administrators.
It was arguably the toughest battle of his life because it involved powerful politicians who controlled Delhi cricket. While politicians had administered Indian cricket before and some had done well as administrators of state cricket associations, Bedi’s fight to clean the DDCA was often misunderstood. His actions were not personal attacks against the DDCA administrators; they were motivated by a larger cause—the betterment of Delhi cricket.
Cricket’s true champion
Bishan Singh Bedi had a heart of gold. I would like to narrate a personal incident that took place at The Delhi Golf Club. While having lunch with Bedi, a former cricketer came to us, assuming he could join our table. I was a little taken aback when Bedi told the cricketer that he would first finish the meal with me before conversing with him. Those who misunderstood Bedi would easily jump to the conclusion that he must have rebuked the cricketer. On the contrary, Bedi was very polite. The cricketer who approached us was none other than India’s greatest all-rounder, Kapil Dev.
One of Bedi’s most remarkable qualities was that he wasn’t always commercially driven. He once asked me if I would accompany him to Kabul if he ever coached the Afghanistan cricket team. My refusal didn’t go down well with him, and he rightly accused me of not being in true love with the game. I was once approached by New Zealand cricket to ask Bedi if he would assist young, emerging spinners in Wellington. Bedi agreed to do it free of charge.
Bishan Singh Bedi made some remarkable contributions to my life with regard to cricket. He taught me never to bring religion into the game. This was remarkable because he held his Sikh faith close to his heart. Bishan also taught me that cricket was way beyond wins and losses. There will never be another like him, a man with a strong moral compass and an unwavering conscience. The world will forever remember Bishan Singh Bedi in the words of Wisden—‘The most beautiful of slow bowlers.’
Kush Singh @singhkb is founder, The Cricket Curry Tour Company. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)