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Age: 75 Years
Hometown: Amritsar, Punjab
Wife: Anju Inderjit Bedi
Some Lesser Known Facts About Bishan Singh Bedi
- Bishan Singh Bedi (1946-2023) was a former Indian cricketer extensively referred to as one of many legendary Indian spinners of all time. He was primarily a left-arm orthodox bowler with a straightforward motion who had the power to bowl flighted deliveries with delicate variations. He was a part of the well-known Indian spin quartet in the course of the Sixties and 70s alongside Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar.
- Bishan Singh Bedi was born when India was dealing with a non-violent conflict in opposition to the Britishers. During childhood, he used to play marble within the streets of Amritsar. He began taking part in cricket on the age of 13 when he heard the commentary of a cricket match between India and the West Indies on the radio. He began taking part in to lower his weight. Then he moved to Delhi in 1968-69 the place within the 1974-75 Ranji Season, he took report 64 wickets.
- He made his worldwide debut in a take a look at match in opposition to West Indies in 1966. Bedi took two very important wickets and restricted their first inning rating to 390. West Indies received this match by an inning and 45 runs.
- His first 5-wicket haul got here in opposition to New Zealand at Christchurch on 22-27 February 1968. New Zealand was at level 208 runs for the lack of one wicket. Bedi then got here on to bowl and took their first wicket. Bedi completed his spell with six wickets after conceding 127 runs. In their second inning, he took two wickets and gave 21 runs in 17 overs. However, New Zealand received this match by six wickets.
- His finest take a look at bowling was 7 for 98 which got here in opposition to Australia at Eden Gardens in December 1969. In reply to India’s 212 runs, Australia misplaced each their openers for the rating of 84 runs. Bedi took the important thing wicket of their captain Billy Lawry. Then, Ian Chappell, had a century’s stand with Doug Walters earlier than Doug Walters was stumped off the bowling of Bishan Singh Bedi. Soon, Ian Chappell additionally went for 99 runs. Bedi ended his quota of bowling along with his finest take a look at bowling spell.
- Bedi had a character conflict with Mumbaikar Sunil Gavaskar. They had clashed on various subjects. However, they firmed revered one another sport. This will be estimated from the truth that Bedi named his first son on the identify of Gavaskar. Bedi’s taking part in days practically ended when Gavaskar was made the full-time captain in 1979. Later, when Gavaskar was sacked from the group, Bedi was the nationwide selector. In 2007, Bedi termed Gavaskar as a ‘destructive influence’ on Indian cricket.
- One of his most miserly spells got here in opposition to East Africa in the course of the 1975 World Cup. India desperately wants a win over right here having misplaced their first sport in opposition to England the place Gavaskar scored report 36 runs of 175 balls. East Africa was batting first. It was actually tough to face Bedi’s bowling in that match. Bedi ended his bowling spell with 6 runs in 12 overs and one wicket which incorporates eight maidens. East Africa may solely handle to attain 120 runs. India received this sport by ten wickets and registered their first ODI victory ever.
- Bedi recollects in a TV collection concerning an unofficial take a look at with Sri Lanka in 1975 in Nagpur by saying that
“I was captain of the team. We were made to stay in an MLA hostel. It was during the month of December and the winter was at its peak. But only I had warm water coming in my room, and not other players. So I called the secretary of the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) and told him to provide warm water to all players. I told him that people who would be coming in numbers to watch the match will not come to see him but the players. I had an altercation with him and he behaved very rudely. I must have abused him too. It was so bad that after the match ended, they (VCA) did not even book the first-class railway ticket for me and another player. We had to travel sitting in the luggage rack of the general compartment in that cold weather.”
- His highest rating was 50 runs, his solely worldwide fifty, which got here in opposition to New Zealand in Kanpur in 1976.
- The identical yr, he was appointed the nationwide group’s captain after changing Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. His first win as captain got here in opposition to the West Indies group at Port-of-Spain within the third take a look at of the 1976 collection. This was the identical match the place India scored then-record 406 runs within the fourth inning. This adopted up with a collection victory over New Zealand by 2-0 at house. However, after a consequent event defeat in opposition to England, Australia, and Pakistan, he was changed by Sunil Gavaskar as captain in 1978.
- After taking part in for his house state, he moved to Delhi to play for the Delhi facet till his retirement in 1981. He additionally performed extensively for Northamptonshire in county cricket.
- Bedi is a really beneficiant man. In response to a information enchantment, he donated blood in Karachi on Cavalier’s tour. Impressed along with his generosity, then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto despatched him two carpets and a tea set.
- In 1990, Bedi turned the coach and supervisor of the Indian cricket group. Bedi was given the group which was inexperienced led by Mohammad Azharuddin for the New Zealand tour. He immediately made a headline when he advised that your complete group needs to be thrown within the Pacific Ocean. This comment got here after India did not chase the modest goal in opposition to Australia which was 150 runs. On the tour itself, Bedi firmly opposed Azhar’s choice to bat first in opposition to the house group in the course of the Lord’s Test in 1990. This was the identical take a look at the place Graham Gooch scored 333 runs and took his facet to a straightforward victory and registered a collection win 1-0. Azhar and Bedi had a large fallout after which the Indian group stated that the group doesn’t require any coach or a cricket supervisor. He then turned the coach of Punjab, Delhi, and Jammu & Kashmir Ranji sides. He guided Punjab to a Ranji title on 1992-93.
- When Bishan Singh Bedi was the coach of the Indian cricket group, Sachin Tendulkar stated throughout an interview with a newspaper that
“Bishan paaji was ahead of the times in terms of preparing us for the matches. The nets were conducted in a serious manner, and he would, many a time, join by bowling to the batsmen. Fiercely competitive, he would challenge the batsman to step out or hit him to a specific target. It was a great sight when he won those battles. I had the privilege of facing him in the nets and it was evident that he was still working on setting up a batsman, and I had to be at my absolute best while facing him.”
He additional provides,
“I always had this feeling that he treated me like his son. He would greet me as ‘Sashoo, my son’, and I could always feel the warmth in his tight hug.”
- He all the time use to hate Twenty20 cricket and termed it as “suffocating” and “the most vulgar expression of cricket”.
- In an interview with a neighborhood News Channel, Bedi termed Indian Premier League (IPL) because the ‘Scam’. He additional provides,
“I don’t want to say anything about IPL. There’s not a bigger scam in India than IPL. Nobody here knows where IPL’s money comes and goes. The second edition of the IPL happened in South Africa, millions of money were taken out of the country without the permission of the Finance Minister.”
- On 15 February 2021, he was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi after affected by a coronary heart assault. While he was evaluated, it was discovered that he had all three vessels of coronary heart critically blocked. He then underwent an operation to take away blood clotting in his mind and in addition underwent Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery by a group of docs on 18 February 2021.
- His most profitable collection embody in opposition to Australia in 1969-70 the place he took 21 wickets. Against England in 1972-73 the place he took 25 wickets. Against West Indies in 1975-76 the place he took 18 wickets. Against New Zealand in 1976-77 the place he took 22 wickets. Against England in the identical yr the place he took 25 wickets. Against Australia in 1977-78 the place he took 31 wickets.
- In assessments, he performed 67 matches and brought 266 wickets with a mean of 28.71. His finest bowling in an inning is 7 for 98 runs which got here in opposition to Australia on 16 December 1977 at WACA, Perth. Overall he bowled 3560.4 overs and conceded 7637 runs with an financial fee of two.14. England is the group in opposition to whom he had taken most wickets in his Test profession adopted by West Indies. His most profitable yr is 1976 the place he took 48 wickets with a mean of 20.00.
- Talking about his ODI profession, he performed 10 matches and took 7 wickets with a mean of 48.57. Overall he bowled 98.2 overs and conceded 340 runs with an financial system fee of three.45. His finest bowling is 2 for 44 runs which got here in opposition to Pakistan on 1 October 1978 at Racecourse Ground (now Bugti Stadium) in Quetta, Pakistan.
- On 23 October 2023, Bishan Bedi handed away after battling a protracted sickness.