Former Indian Captain Bishan Singh Bedi died at the age of 77 on Monday. Reports inform that Bedi died due to prolonged illness and is survived by his wife Anju, son Angad and daughter Neha.
Between 1967 and 79, the spinner played 67 tests for India, taking 266 wickets, including 14 five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul. He also took seven wickets in ten One-Day Internationals.
He was born in Amritsar and was part of the famous spin quartet in Indian cricket along with Erapalli Prasanna, B.S.Chandrashekar and S. Venkataraghavan that won India many games both at home and overseas.
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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief on the death of the legendary cricketer and said he will continue to inspire future generations of cricketers.
Cricketers including Former Indian Women's Cricket team captain Mithali Raj, Suresh Raina, and Yusuf Pathan offered their heartfelt condolences.
Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur confirmed the news. "Former India captain and spinner Bishan Singh Bedi has passed away. It is a very sad news. It's a huge loss for India. He started so many camps in Himachal. I and the whole cricketing family stand with his family."
(With inputs from agencies)