One of the best left-arm spinners of all time, Bishan Singh Bedi, former captain of India, passed away on Monday at the age of 77 following a protracted illness. Bedi’s son Angad, daughter Neha, and wife Anju survive him. “This morning, at home, he passed away. He had knee surgery not too long ago. One of his close friends stated, “The infection spread and he could not recover from that.” Bedi, who was born in 1946 in Amritsar, played 67 Test matches for India and claimed 266 wickets, including one 10-wicket haul and fourteen five-wicket hauls. He was one of the four legendary spinners in Indian cricket, along with Bhagwat Chadrasekhar, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, and Erapalli Prasanna. For over ten years, they comprised the backbone of India’s bowling unit.
In 1990, Bedi led the Indian cricket team on short visits to England and New Zealand.
Along with being a national selector, he mentored and advised other gifted spinners, including Maninder Singh and Murali Kartik, who all vowed to follow his technical advice. One of the most respected Indian captains, Bedi took charge of the team for over four years in Test cricket from 1975 to 1979 following the retirement of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. He remained anti-establishment throughout his life, and his opinions frequently irritated those in positions of authority. From 1974 until 1982, he led the Delhi Ranji squad for the longest period of time, and during that time, the team rose to prominence in the national cricket circuit.
