After a protracted disease, American cricket story Bishan Singh Bedi passed away at the age of 77.
He had recently had a dozen surgeries and was battling diseases related to his advanced age.
In 22 of his 67 Testing, Bedi, who is regarded as one of the best spin bowlers in history, led India and took 266 innings.
He played his final Test match against England at The Oval in 1979 after making his debut against the West Indies in 1966.
Bedi also represented Northamptonshire in English county baseball, and he finished his career with 1,560 first-class wickets, the most by an American bowling.
Bedi was born in Amritsar, a condition in India’s Punjab, and he started playing baseball in school. He became India’s 113th Test batsman when he turned 20.
Bedi was a twist bowling purist’s dream when wearing his distinctive pink or vivid orange headdress. Bowlers came naturally to him with a leisurely run-up and smooth action. The left shoulder spin was described as” subtle, silent and deadly, a master of deception who conjured variations in trip, ring, roll, and speed without any perceptible shift in action” by an author of cricket.
Ramachandra Guha, a historian and the co-author of the book” A Corner of an Foreign Field,” wrote,” Bedi flighted the ball higher than any bowler in international cricket, it was only because his command was so complete that he would make it descend far faster than it went up.”
Bedi had so much variant, according to former India bowler Syed Kirmani, who played for India in 88 Tests, that he could” dish six different shipments in an over.”
Bedi” took the pounds off the ball effectively ,” said West Indies star Sir Garry Sobers, one of the greatest all-rounders to play baseball. One of England’s greatest officers, Mike Brearley, described his ball as” wonderful.”
And Australia’s legendary batsman Sir Donald Bradman, who is regarded as the best batter in the history of the game, believed that” Bedi was a real investigation for the connoisseur and among the finest bowlers of his sort.”
Bedi was a rare vocal cricket player who frequently got involved in controversy.
In Kingston, Jamaica, in 1976, he declared India’s second innings to be 97 – 5 against Clive Lloyd of the West Indies in retaliation for intimidatory bowling by the hosts.
He threatened to throw the India staff into the water in 1990 after they lost a game to Australia in his capacity as the nation’s coach. He accused Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan of throwing in a beautiful attack that he launched in 2002.
In an appointment with Wisden Cricket Asia, Bedi advised Murali to” show me how to dish” if he didn’t jack.
He afterwards recalled that Kerry Packer’s agent had approached him three times with sizable offers before rejecting a lucrative contract from him to perform in World Series Cricket, an Australian rebel tournament.
He complained about Indian Premier League player transactions years afterward, saying that he” simply did not enjoy people being treated like animals being sold to the highest bidder.”
Bedi always made fun of baseball board officials at home.
Bedi had a colorful personality and was very outgoing. ” Home full of free-flowing alcohol, food, and an overwhelming number of noisy laughter ,” his daughter recalled. He enjoyed dogs and returned from his travels in the UK with a variety of species from dog clubs.
The” sardar of spin,” as he was known in India, had a contagious sense of humor.
He again took two puppies from a dog in England, named them Charles and Diana, and brought them to India. An official questioned him at the airport in London,” Are you robbing us of our aristocracy?” A wry Bedi retorted,” No! I’m bringing the royalties with me.
The wisecrack perfectly described Bedi as a rebellious individual with an humorous personality. Of course, one of the best bowlers of all time.
