The former India captain Bishan Bedi, widely regarded as one of cricket’s greatest spin bowlers, has died aged 77. A slow left-armer with an armoury of variations, Bedi played 67 Tests between 1967 and 1979, taking 266 wickets at an average of 28.71, while he also played in 10 ODIs.
Bedi led his country in 22 Tests, winning six times, between 1975 and 1979 and at the time of his retirement, he was India’s leading wicket-taker before being overtaken by Kapil Dev a few years later.
Bedi was instrumental in a spin quartet with leg-spinner Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and off-break bowlers Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Erapalli Prasanna that helped India’s rise in the 1960s and 1970s. India’s sports minister, Anurag Thakur, called Bedi’s death “a huge loss for cricket”.
Bedi also represented Northamptonshire with distinction while his 1,560 first-class wickets is the most by any Indian bowler.
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, led the tributes, saying on X: “Deeply saddened by the passing of noted cricketer Shri Bishan Singh Bedi Ji. His passion for the sport was unwavering and his exemplary bowling performances led India to numerous memorable victories. He will continue to inspire future generations of cricketers. Condolences to his family and admirers.”
The India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said: “Sad to hear about the demise of the great Bishen Singh Bedi, apart from being a great cricketer, he was an affable person and went the extra mile to help young cricketers.”
