• By Ankit Bisht
  • Mon, 23 Oct 2023 05:37 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Ravichandran Ashwin and former cricketers Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble among others mourned the demise of legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi.

The veteran left-arm spinner died at the age of 77 on Monday due to prolonged illness. Bedi had undergone multiple surgeries including one on the knee about a month ago. He is survived by his wife Anju and two children Neha and Angad.

"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," BCCI wrote on X.



Ace India spinner Ashwin and former spinners Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble expressed their heartfelt condolences on social media.

"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," Ashwin wrote on X.

"Bishan paji RIP #bishanbedi condolences to my brother @Imangadbedi and family. Waheguru," Harbhajan wrote.

"Deeply saddened to hear the loss of Bishan Paaji. He was someone who always had my back and who genuinely shared his thoughts on the game. Cricketing fraternity will miss him dearly. Heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and loved ones," Kumble wrote.

Former India skipper Mohammed Azharuddin also posted his tribute.

"I'm sorry to hear about Bishan Singh Bedi sir's passing away. Sending my heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace," he wrote.

"Sad to hear the demise of Shri Bishan Singh Bedi. Indian Cricket has lost an icon today. Bedi Sir defined an era of cricket and he left an indelible mark on the game with his artistry as a spin bowler and his impeccable character. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time," BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote on 'X'.

Born in Amritsar in 1946, Bedi played 67 Tests for India and took 266 wickets with 14 five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul.

He was part of Indian cricket's golden quartet of spinners that also had Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan. They formed the core of India's bowling unit for more than a decade between 1966 and 1978.

Bedi was briefly the manager of the Indian cricket team in 1990 during tours of New Zealand and England.

He was also a national selector and mentor to many talented spinners like Maninder Singh and Murali Kartik, who all swore by his technical insight.

Bedi was one of the most admired Indian captains and he led the team for nearly four years in Test cricket between 1975 and 1979 after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's retirement.

Throughout his life, he remained anti-establishment and his views often ruffled the feathers of those in power.

He was the longest-serving Delhi Ranji team captain from 1974 to 1982 and under him, the team became a force to reckon with the national cricket circuit.

Condolences poured in on social media as the news of his death became public.

(With PTI inputs)