Renowned India cricket icon Bishan Singh Bedi has succumbed to an extended illness at the age of 77. Bedi is celebrated for his proficiency as a left-arm spinner and his leadership in 22 matches as the Indian team’s captain. His illustrious cricketing career spanned from 1967 to 1979.
In his 67 Test appearances for India, he impressively clinched 266 wickets. The former India spinner also competed in 10 ODIs, achieving a total of 7 wickets. Bedi is widely recognized as one of India’s premier spin bowlers and played a pivotal role in the country’s spin bowling transformation alongside Erapalli Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar, and S. Venkataraghavan. Notably, he contributed to India’s historic inaugural ODI triumph by limiting East Africa to a mere 120 runs with an exceptional performance of 12-8-6-1 during the 1975 World Cup.
In the realm of domestic cricket, Bishan Singh Bedi maintained a strong affiliation with the Delhi team. Upon concluding his illustrious playing career, he seamlessly transitioned into the roles of coaching and mentoring, where he imparted his knowledge and guidance to numerous budding Indian cricketers. Bedi also ventured into the domain of cricket commentary and punditry, where he shared his valuable insights into the sport. Renowned for his candid and outspoken nature, Bedi fearlessly expressed his opinions on a wide range of topics within the game.
Furthermore, he undertook a brief tenure as the manager of the Indian cricket team during their tours of New Zealand and England in 1990. Bedi also played a vital role as a national selector and provided invaluable mentorship to emerging spinners, including Maninder Singh and Murali Kartik, all of whom held his technical insights in high regard.
Bedi took 1560 first-class wickets
The Punjab-born cricketer possessed a remarkable ability to execute stealthy, silent, and lethal deliveries. A true master of deception, he could conjure variations in flight, loop, spin, and pace seamlessly, all without any discernible change in his bowling action. His approach involved bowling with tremendous courage, enticing the batsmen to attempt lofted shots by imparting generous flight to the ball.
Throughout the majority of his career, he remained a consistent wicket-taker. His time at Northamptonshire during a successful county stint greatly contributed to his legacy, culminating in a remarkable achievement of 1560 first-class wickets, surpassing all other Indian bowlers.
Let us look at how Twitter has reacted to this:
Condolences to family, friends, and entire cricket fraternity
Bishan Singh Bedi ji was Known as Spin King pic.twitter.com/GxIdoRiEQx— Sammy ? (@sammyX39) October 23, 2023
RIP LEGEND ? ONE OF THE GREATEST FOR INDIA pic.twitter.com/V6IzLIZWns
— TEJASH ? (@LoyleRohitFan) October 23, 2023
Rest in peace ? pic.twitter.com/dsGiQ5Qyxr
— rohit paikrao (@rohit_pakirao45) October 23, 2023
1983 World Cup Champion team has loet important teammate! RIP ? pic.twitter.com/lrIGZqHPAM
— Amrit Chandravanshi (@Ek_Indian07) October 23, 2023
Rip….legend….Great bowler…..
— Hriday Singh (@hridaysingh16) October 23, 2023
One of the best spinner of his era, RIP ?
— Shubman Gang (@ShubmanGang) October 23, 2023
R.I.P. Legend Om Shanti.
— Avinash P (@avinashparmar97) October 23, 2023
Very sad to hear about Bishan Singh Bedi. May God give strength to his family in this time of sorrow.
— Vishal Kumar (@vishalkumar9000) October 23, 2023
Om shanti?
— GORDXROHIT (@gordxrohit) October 23, 2023
