Rebel with a cause for the cricketers

Bishan Singh Bedi was without doubt the finest left-arm spinner of his era and among the best the cricketing world has seen. Part of the f...

Bishan Singh Bedi was without doubt the finest left-arm spinner of his era and among the best the cricketing world has seen. Part of the famed spin quartet in the seventies which saw India register many splendid victories, Bedi may not have been as prodigious a turner of the ball as Erapalli Prasana or a match-winner like Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, but his subtle variations of line and length; the magical loop and the ability to think out a batsman made him the most feared bowler of all times. Added to this ability of foxing the best of players,

Bedi’s run-up and action were so fluid and graceful that writers have gone lyrical over it.

Making his debut against Gary Sobers’ West Indies in 1967 at home, Bedi became the most vital part of India’s attack for over two decades and went on to become his country’s highest wicket-taker, till Kapil Dev came along and not only to break the record of his 266 victims but also the world record.

Bedi’s claim to fame also lies in the positive manner he handled the captaincy for India. Not the one to play his cricket passively, Bedi was one of the most attacking captain India has ever had. He was also not afraid to take on the establishment and fought for the players’ right for more freedom and more emoluments. It was because of these reasons, Bedi had many brushes with the authority and was even dropped once for the ostensible reason for having given a tv interview. After his retirement from the game, he was made the national selector once and the manager of the Indian and later the Punjab Ranji team. His controversial stint as the Indian manager may not have been all that fruitful but to prove a point he transformed no-hopers Punjab into Ranji champions.

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Bedi still is among the very few voices who speak and write against the establishemt, all in the hope that one day, Indian cricket will get an administration sensitve to the needs of the changing times. A true rebel, if ever there was one.

Bishan Bedi Factfile
Born: 1946, Amritsar
Teams: Punjab, Delhi, Northamptonshire, India
First class career (1961-81): 3,584 runs (11.37), 1, 560 wkts (21.69) and 172 catches
Tests (67): 656 runs (8.98), 266 wkts (28.71) and 26 catches