Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi died aged 77, confirmed the Board of Control of Cricket in India on Monday.
Bedi, who was part of the famous spin quartet of Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, claimed 266 wickets in 67 Tests in an illustrious international career between 1967 and 1979. The legendary spinner also claimed seven wickets in the ten One-Day Internationals he played for India.
The Amritsar-born spinner, who played for Delhi in the domestic circuit, amassed 1,560 wickets in 370 matches, making him the top Indian first-class wicket-taker.
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Bedi also held the record for the most economical bowling figures in a 60-over ODI match amongst bowlers who had completed their quota of overs. He finished with 12-8-6-1 against East Africa at Headingley, in England, during India’s first ODI win at the 1975 World Cup.
In 1978–79 and 1979–80 seasons, Bedi also guided Delhi to its first two Ranji Trophy victories. He led the team to two runners-up finishes as well.
The left-arm spinner was often blunt in his criticism of peers, cricketers, and faltering administrators of the sport. Bedi also briefly served as the Indian cricket team’s manager during the team’s Tours of England and New Zealand in 1990.
With a big turban and a smiling face, he was a regular at cricket events in New Delhi, but his failing health over the past couple of years kept him away from an active social life.
Here are some of the reactions to the news of his death:
With inputs from AFP
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