IN PICS – Remembering legendary former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi
One of India’s finest-ever spinners and a trailblazer in his category, Bishan Singh Bedi, breathed his last on Monday, October 23, 2023, aged 77. The left-arm orthodox spinner, known for his guile and gut on the field, was a former India captain and part of the spin quartet – including Erapalli Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar and S. Venkataraghavan. Let’s look back at his career in photos and numbers.
Cricket Debut
The left-arm spinner from Punjab made his Test debut against the West Indies in 1966. In a decorated career that spanned over a decade, Bedi picked 266 wickets in Tests at an impressive average of 28.71. Outside of Tests, Bedi also featured in ten ODIs for India, picking seven wickets.
(Photograph:Others)
Best Figures in Tests
A spinner of the highest quality, Bedi played against the who’s who of world cricket and made a name for himself at all levels. Bedi’s best bowling figure in an inning came against Australia in Kolkata (Calcutta then) in 1969, wherein he picked 7/98. However, his best match figures (10/194) came against the same opponents in 1977.
(Photograph:Others)
Captaincy and first Test win
Bishen Singh Bedi succeeded Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi as the Indian captain in 1976. Under his captaincy, India beat West Indies in 1976 in Port-of-Spain, chasing a then-world-record fourth-inning total of 406. He led India in 22 Tests. Sunil Gavaskar replaced him as the India Captain later.
(Photograph:Others)
