Legendary India spinner Bishan Singh Bedi passes away

Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi passed away on Monday. He was 77 years old.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, 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. The BCCI mourns the sad demise of former India Test Captain and legendary spinner, Bishan Singh Bedi.

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…

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) October 23, 2023

Making his Test debut against Australia in 1969-70, Bedi finished the series with 21 wickets. And there was no looking back. Bedi was a stalwart for Delhi in Ranji Trophy leading the team to back-to-back titles in 1978-79 and 1980-81. Besides, Bedi also emerged as a giant in County cricket where he played 102 First-Class games for Northamptonshire and picked 434 wickets from 1972 to 1977.Bedi played a key role in India’s first ODI win. His miserly bowling figures of 12-8-6-1 restricted East Africa to 120 in a 1975 World Cup fixture.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.