Bishan Bedi dies at the age of 77

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former captain of india Bishan Bedi Died in Delhi at the age of 77.

Bedi was ill for the last two years and had undergone several surgeries, including on her knee, about a month ago. He is survived by his wife Anju, his daughter Neha and son Angad, and his son Gavasinder and daughter Gilinder from his previous marriage to Glenith Miles.

One of the game’s greatest left-arm spinners, Bedi represented India in 67 Tests and ten ODIs from 1967 to 1979. At the time of his retirement, he was India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests, with 266 runs at an average of 28.71. Bedi, unconventional legspinner Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and offspinners Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan formed the famous spin quartet that dominated Indian cricket in the 1970s.

Apart from her achievements in Indian cricket, Bedi also enjoyed a successful career in the County Championship with Northamptonshire, for whom she took 434 first-class wickets at an average of 20.89.

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, Bedi’s teammate in 44 Test matches, said, “Really sad news.” “He was the best left-arm bowler I have seen.”

As a bowler, Bedi was a connoisseur, renowned for the classical beauty of his action and his ability to maintain a perfect length over long spells while subtly varying his pace, trajectory and release.

England captain Mike Brearley said, “Like most great bowlers, his variations were subtle.” wrote about it, “Of all the slow bowlers of Bedi’s time, no one forced you to commit later than he did. With small, last-second adjustments of wrist and arm-angle, he could consistently bowl balls that were similar. It looked, perhaps, as if each ball would fall on a length just outside the off stump.

“But on the first ball he will turn his wrist more, bowl the ball a little higher – it will turn faster, be wider off off, and be shorter than you anticipate. The next ball, sometimes a little undercut and a little faster, will pitch Move forward and come towards middle and leg stump. On the first ball you were likely to play inside the line and away from the body; on the second, outside the line, and round your front foot, so as to risk the inside edge on the pad. Of.

“The error of judgment induced in the batsman can be up to a yard in length and a foot in width. And he can make these changes according to what he thinks the batsman is trying to do at the moment of the delivery, so the determination His action and rhythm were balanced.”

Bedi’s control was visible in her numbers. Of the 82 bowlers who have taken at least 200 Test wickets, only three – Lance Gibbs, Richie Benaud and Derek Underwood – have taken at least 200 Test wickets. have better economy rate Its 2.14 cm.

Charismatic as a captain, Bedi was admired by players across the world. He led India in 22 Test matches, winning six, including three on overseas tours. One of these was the historic chase in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad in 1976, when Bedi’s India chased the target of 403 runsA record that stood until 2003.

On the domestic front, Bedi led Delhi to four Ranji Trophy finals, two of which they won in consecutive seasons: in 1978–79 his team defeated GR Vishwanath’s Karnataka, and the following year he defeated Sunil Gavaskar’s Bombay. Defeated. Bedi won his third Ranji title as coach of Punjab in 1992–93, which Defeated Maharashtra by 120 runs In the final that year.

fearless, outspoken, uncompromising

Bedi was known for her colorful personality on the field. Patka He wore, and was reputed for, both his generosity – he often applauded batsmen when they hit a six at him – and his candor. This led to some notable struggles, especially when he captained India. He declared India’s first innings at 306 runs for 6 wickets. Sabina Park in 1976 In opposition to the intimidating bowling of the West Indies fast bowlers on an uneven surface, and two years later lost the ODI match against Pakistan In Sahiwal, when he felt that Sarfaraz Nawaz had used the bouncer excessively. He protested against John Lever in Chennai in 1977 use of vaseline – applied to his brow as an apparent means of keeping sweat out of his eyes – led to allegations that the England fast bowler was using it to alter the condition of the ball.

Bedi continued to speak on cricket and non-cricket matters long after his retirement. One of his biggest bugbears was chucking. He believed that no finger spinner could bowl second without straightening the elbow. Bedi’s most controversial statement on the subject came in a 2005 interview in which she compared Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan to “javelin thrower,

In 2008, at the height of Monkeygate controversy, when the BCCI threatened to withdraw the Indian team from Australia in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar series, Bedi called India captain Anil Kumble. Kumble remembered Bedi in the book, saying, “Son, take such a decision that history will remember you.” Sardars of Spin: A Celebration of the Life and Art of Bishan Singh Bedi, “Don’t make hasty decisions, don’t get carried away by emotions.”

Impact on young Kohli

In his later years Bedi was highly critical of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) administration, and in 2020 wrote to the body Requesting that it cancel his membership and remove his name from the stand named after him at Feroz Shah Kotla – this happened after the DDCA had decided to rename the stadium after politician and cricket administrator Arun Jaitley.

Bedi guided many international players including Maninder Singh, Murali Karthik and Sunil Joshi. He was always generous with his views and cricketers on tours to India often approached him for his insights. Once he even advised Shane Warne to compete with Sachin Tendulkar. “I was telling Shane Warne after Sachin destroyed him in India that a good ball is always a straight six,” Bedi said in an interview. wisden asia cricket, “You can’t set the field for a straight six… but I was always happy when someone hit me for a six, because I felt I could get him out. But before I could get a batsman out, I was always happy. Before he could explain the intricacies, Warne said, `No, nonsense, the bloody thing is disappearing more often.’

Bedi coach was uncompromising. Even Virat Kohli was not spared, as he was graduating from age-group cricket in Delhi, where Bedi was the coach. In 2017, while receiving the DDCA award from Bedi, Kohli spoke about how the senior focused on fitness. “From not understanding the importance of fitness and running away from him in U-15, U-17, U-19 cricket just because he trained us too much to becoming (extremely fitness conscious) my life is like this right now Whatever they have, have been doing this for centuries,” Kohli was quoted as saying Hindustan Times, “Many people have been successful because of this. Thank you sir.”

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