Who was Bishan Singh Bedi, the former captain of the Indian cricket team who passed away?

Bishan Singh Bedi, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, passed away on October 23. He was 77 years old.

The 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 🙏 pic.twitter.com/oYdJU0cBCV

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 23, 2023

Extremely saddened by the passing of Bishan Singh Bedi ji. His immense contribution to cricket will forever be remembered. May god give strength to his family and loved ones! pic.twitter.com/zDpSd4aUp2

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) October 23, 2023

He was a renowned left-arm spinner and played for the Indian cricket team from 1966 to 1979. He was known for his exceptional spin bowling skills and captained the team in various international matches. He was a member of the renowned Indian spin quartet, which consisted of Indian spinners including Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, and Bhagwat Chandrashekhar. 

Early Life and Career

Bishan Singh Bedi was born on September 25, 1946, in Amritsar, Punjab. He started playing cricket at a young age and made his debut for the Indian cricket team in 1966. Bedi quickly established himself as a skilled spinner and became an integral part of the team's bowling attack. Throughout his career, he took 266 wickets in his 67 Test matches and was known for his accuracy and ability to deceive batsmen with his flight and turn. He took a total of 1560 wickets in first-class cricket, becoming the first Indian cricket player to do so. 

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Bowling Figures

Bedi was an impressive bowler with an average of 28.71 in Test matches and 22.29 in first-class cricket. He was particularly effective on spin-friendly pitches, where he could exploit the conditions to take wickets, which earned him the moniker 'Sardar of Spin'. 

His best performance came against Australia in 1969, when he took 7 wickets for just 98 runs in a single inning. His best performance was 10/194 in a match against Australia in Perth during 1977–1978.

Captaincy

Bishan Singh Bedi became the captain of the Indian cricket team in 1976, after Mansoor Pataudi. In the third Test of the 1976 series at Port-of-Spain, India triumphed over the mighty West Indies, setting a then-record score of 406 in the fourth inning. This victory was made possible by his leadership. However, his captaincy was not without controversy, as he was known for his outspoken nature and clashes with cricket authorities. In 1978, Bedi became the first captain in the history of international cricket to forfeit a match. This incident occurred during a Test match against Pakistan, where Bedi called the Indian batsmen off the crease in protest against unfair umpiring decisions. 

Records Held

Bedi holds the record for the most economical bowling in ODI history. He achieved this feat in the 1975 World Cup, where he conceded only six runs in his 12 overs, and also took a wicket. 

Bishan Singh Bedi is survived by his son, Angad Bedi, an actor, who is married to Neha Dhupia, an actress. 

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