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President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur among those who have expressed grief over the demise of legendary cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi.
India cricket legend Bishan Singh Bedi passed away in Delhi on Monday. He was 77. Bedi had a surgery two weeks ago and was hospitalised since then. He is survived by his son and Bollywood actor Angad Bedi, who is married to actress Neha Dhupia.
Between 1967 and 1979, the legendary spinner played 67 Tests for India, taking 266 wickets. In addition, he took seven wickets in ten One-Day Internationals.
Bedi, a veteran of 67 Tests between in a 12-year-career spanning between 1967 and 1979, was one of India’s most celebrated cricketers. Bedi, along with Erapalli Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar and S. Venkataraghavan, formed the most lethal spin quartet in the history of Indian cricket, one that revolutionised the art of spin bowling worldwide.
A Padma Shri winner in 1970, Bedi also went on to captain India in 22 Tests and played India’s first-ever ODI against East Africa in 1975 where he bowled 12 overs, eight maidens, gave away six runs and picked one wicket. Bedi is widely considered the game’s greatest left-arm spinner.
In the year 1976, Bedi was appointed captain of the Indian team, succeeding Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. His inaugural win as captain was in the 3rd Test of the 1976 series against the formidable West Indies in Port-of-Spain, where India orchestrated a historic fourth-innings total of 406, etching their name into the record books. This resounding victory paved the way for India to continue their dominance, culminating in a 2-0 series triumph against New Zealand on home turf. Yet, despite these promising beginnings, a series of challenging Test losses to England, Australia, and Pakistan would ultimately lead to Bedi’s removal from the post with Sunil Gavaskar taking over.