Bishan Singh Bedi, a former Indian cricket team captain and one of the most renowned spinners to have featured in the national team, died on October 23. He was aged 77.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a statement to confirm Bedi's demise and mark its condolences. “BCCI mourns the sad demise of former India Test Captain and legendary spinner, Bishan Singh Bedi. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and fans in these tough times. May his soul rest in peace,” the country's nodal cricket body stated.
The legendary Indian spinner had played 67 Test matches between 1967 and 1979, and has 266 wickets to his name. At the time of his retirement, he was India's leading wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Bedi had also featured in 10 One-Day International (ODI) matches, in which he took seven wickets. He was said to be as instrumental in the team's first ODI victory, during the 1975 World Cup, when he ended up with magical figures of 12-8-6-1 against East Africa.
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Born in Amritsar, Bedi played cricket from an early age, and went on to play for Delhi at the first-class stage. He was among the top wicket-takers in first-class cricket, with a total of 1,560 wickets in 370 games.
Under Bedi's captaincy, the Delhi team had also won the prestigious Ranji Trophy titles during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons.
Condoling his demise, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said this is a “loss for the entire cricket world”. “A former captain of Indian team, and a bowler who has been lauded across the world, Bishan Singh Bedi ji, is not amongst us," he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also paid tribute, saying that he was “deeply saddened” by the former cricketer's demise. “Bedi Ji will live in our memories not only through his contribution to the cricketing world but also as the master of crafty bowling who could weave magic on the pitch. My heartfelt condolences to his family members and his fans in this hour of grief,” Shah tweeted.
