Bishan Singh Bedi (25 September 1946 – 23 October 2023) was an Indian cricketer who was primarily a
slow left-arm orthodox bowler. He played
Test cricket
Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...
for
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
from 1966 to 1979 and formed part of the famous
Indian spin quartet. He played a total of 67 Tests and took 266 wickets. He also
captained the national side in 22 Test matches. Bedi wore a colourful
patka and was always known for his outspoken and forthright views on cricketing matters. He was awarded the
Padma Shri award in 1970 and the
C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
Playing career
In Indian domestic cricket, Bedi first played for
Northern Punjab when only fifteen, having taken up cricket only two years previously, a particularly late age for this sport. He moved to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
in 1968–69 and in the
1974–75 season of the
Ranji Trophy, he took a record 64 wickets.
Bedi also represented
Northamptonshire in English
county cricket for many years. He finished his career with 1560 wickets in
first-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...
— more than any other Indian cricketer.
His bowling has been described as graceful, even beautiful, and full of guile and artistry. He was an expert in
flighting the ball, and was capable of making it hold back or hurry forward and added subtle variations of spin. His action was so relaxed and coordinated that he was able to bowl all day with rhythm and control, a great asset to any captain. He had several very successful Test series:
[Peter Arnold, ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Cricket'', WH Smith 1985]
* India vs Australia 1969–70: 21 wickets at the average of 20.57
* India vs England 1972–73: 25 wickets at the average of 25.28
*
India in the West Indies 1975–1976 : 18 wickets at the average of 25.33
*
India vs New Zealand 1976–77: 22 wickets at the average of 13.18
*
India vs England 1976–77: 25 wickets at the average of 22.96
*
India in Australia 1977–78: 31 wickets at the average of 23.87
His best Test bowling was 7/98 against Australia at Calcutta in 1969–70, and his best match figures 10/194 at Perth in 1977–78, also against Australia.
His best first class bowling was 7/5 for Delhi vs Jammu and Kashmir at New Delhi 1974–75.
Although his batting was poor he hit a boundary off the second last ball in the
Gillette Cup Semi Final for
Northamptonshire vs
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, winning the match by two wickets.
His highest score of 50 not out, his only half century at Test level, was scored against New Zealand in Kanpur in 1976.
Bedi was appointed captain of India in 1976, succeeding
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. His first Test victory as captain was against the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
at
Port-of-Spain in the 3rd Test of the 1976 series in which India scored a then-record 406 in the fourth innings. This was followed up by a 2–0 series victory over New Zealand at home. However, after successive Test series losses to England (3–1 at home), Australia (3–2 away) and Pakistan (2–0 away), he was replaced as captain by
Sunil Gavaskar in 1979.
Bedi is second to
Lance Gibbs in terms of maiden overs per test, 16.35 against 16.62.
He bowled 4.2 maiden overs per wicket as against 4.24 by Gibbs.
In 2008,
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack named Bedi as one of the five best cricketers to have not been selected as a
Wisden Cricketer of the Year.
Controversies
As captain of India, Bedi was involved in some controversies. Following India's record-breaking run-chase in the 3rd Test of the 1976 series against the West Indies, the West Indies opted for an aggressive four-man
fast bowler attack for the 4th Test. Bedi objected to their tactics of bowling beamers because they could not get Indian batsmen out, and
declared the Indian first innings closed early after two players were forced to
retire hurt. Subsequently, five players were absent hurt in the second innings of the match.
In England's tour of India in 1976–77 he
accused John Lever of using
Vaseline
Vaseline ()Also pronounced with the main stress on the last syllable . is an American brand of petroleum jelly-based products owned by British multinational company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, ...
to illegally polish the ball in the Third Test at Madras. Lever wore Vaseline strips on his forehead to keep the sweat out of his eyes; he was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing.
In November 1978, he became the first captain to concede an international cricket match. In a
One Day International against
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
at Sahiwal (Pakistan), India with 8 wickets in hand, required 23 runs from 14 balls. Bedi, however, recalled the batsmen from the crease and conceded the match in protest at the bowling of
Sarfraz Nawaz who had bowled 4
bouncers in succession with not one being called
wide by the umpires.
Coaching
In 1990, after he had managed a tour where India had played poorly, he threatened to dump the entire team in the sea on the return journey.
Opinions on modern-day cricket
Bedi expressed strong opinions on many aspects of modern-day cricket and was described as "being jealous of modern-day great spinners".
In particular, he was a vehement critic of the bowling action of
Muttiah Muralitharan ("if Murali doesn't chuck, then show me how to bowl"
) which he bluntly referred to as cheating and likened to a javelin throw and shot putting, saying that Muralitharan would "complete 1000 Test wickets but they would count as mere run-outs in my eyes". He took a very dim view of chucking, which he called "a bigger threat than bribing and betting"
and claimed in 2004 that many bowlers on the subcontinent chuck, calling Muralitharan a "Sri Lankan bandit closing in on a dream artist called
Shane Warne". He had stated, though, that he has nothing personal against Muralitharan, although Muralitharan had threatened to sue him. He levelled the same criticisms against his countryman
Harbhajan Singh. Regarding suspect actions in cricket, he said "When a bowler is chucking, he's referred to panels and the home cricket board. Why not do the same for a wide or no-ball, then?".
He had accused one-day cricket, modern cricket bats and small grounds of causing a decline in classical spin bowling in India.
Bedi also attacked
Sunil Gavaskar, calling him "a destructive influence". He said to Australian coach
John Buchanan "Tell us, John, have you made this Australian team great, or have they made you?"
Personal life and death
Bedi was born on 25 September 1946, in
Amritsar
Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...
in then
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
.
His son
Angad Bedi (born 1983) is an Indian actor and former model, and his daughter-in-law
Neha Dhupia is a well known
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
actress.
He said that he had always washed his own clothes, calling it "the best exercise for your shoulders and fingers", when pointing out that spin bowling requires suppleness of limbs.
Bedi died in
New Delhi
New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
on 23 October 2023, at the age of 77.
Records
Bedi held the world record for the most economical bowling figures in a 60-over ODI match amongst the bowlers who had completed their quota of overs (12 overs). In the 1975 World Cup, when the bowlers were allowed to deliver 12 overs, Bedi finished with 12–8–6–1 (overs-maidens-runs-wickets) against East Africa at Headingley.
Accolades
Bedi was awarded the
Padma Shri in
1970.
In 2004, Bedi, along with
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar,
Srinivas Venkatraghavan and
Erapalli Prasanna, collectively known as the
Indian spin quartet, were named as winners of the
C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by the
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of the sport of cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at the Cricket Centre in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. BCCI is the wealthiest governing body ...
.
References
Sources
*
Robinson, R. (1979). ''The Wildest Tests''. Stanmore, NSW: Cassell Australia. .
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedi, Bishan Singh
1946 births
2023 deaths
Coaches of the Indian national cricket team
Cricketers at the 1975 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 1979 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers from Amritsar
D. H. Robins' XI cricketers
Delhi cricketers
India One Day International cricketers
India Test cricket captains
India Test cricketers
Indian cricket coaches
Indian cricket commentators
Indian cricketers
20th-century Indian sportsmen
Punjabi Sikhs
Indian Universities cricketers
North Zone cricketers
Northamptonshire cricketers
Indian expatriate cricketers in England
Northern Punjab cricketers
Recipients of the Arjuna Award
Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports
State Bank of India cricketers
T. N. Pearce's XI cricketers
People from Punjab Province (British India)