New Delhi: Former Indian cricketing great Bishan Singh Bedi has died. He was 77.
The left-arm orthodox spinner, who played 67 Test matches from 1966 to 1979, took 266 wickets. He was part of the famed Indian spin quartet along with Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar.
Bedi also captained the Indian side in 22 Test matches. He also took seven wickets in 10 one-day internationals.
Known for his candid take on cricketing matters, Bedi was awarded the Padma Shri in 1970 and the C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
https://twitter.com/BCCI/
Born in Amritsar on 25 September 1946, Bedi debuted for the Indian team in a Test against West Indies at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on 31 December, 1966.
His ODI debut was against England at Headingley on 13 July, 1974. His best figures of 10 for 194 came against Australia at Perth in 1978-79. His overall average was 28.71.
After playing his last Test for the national side on 30 August, 1979, Bedi moved to Delhi and played for them till he retired in 1981.
Bedi was briefly the manager of the Indian cricket team in 1990 during the tours of New Zealand and England. He was also a national selector and mentor to several spinners like Maninder Singh and Murali Kartik.
Condolences poured in as news spread of the iconic spinner’s demise. In his tribute, BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah said Bedi “defined an era of cricket and left an indelible mark on the game with his artistry as a spin bowler and his impeccable character”.
BCCI Vice-President and Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla said on social media site X that the legendary spinner “was one of the most successful overseas players”.
Historian Ramachandra Guha called Bedi a great cricketer “and an even greater human being”. “He was a moral beacon for all those who knew him,” Guha said on X.
Also read: Indians win four gold to begin Para Asian Games campaign in style