DHARAMSHALA: October 22, 2023, will go down as one of the saddest days in the history of Indian cricket. For this day, the sport lost one its greatest ambassadors. A magician with the ball, leader of the legendary spin quartet, mentor of multiple generations, and a statesman spoke truth to power -- former India captain and left-arm spinner Bishen Singh Bedi passed away at 77 in New Delhi on Monday.
Suffering from prolonged illness, Bedi had undergone several surgeries over the past few years and recently, he had a surgery in his knee as well. He is survived by wife Anju and two children Neha and Angad.
Bedi represented India in 67 Tests and took 266 wickets, accounted more than 1500 first-class wickets, and yet, numbers do little justice to what Bedi meant to Indian cricket.
With EAS Prasanna, S Venkataraghavan and BS Chandrasekhar, Bedi formed the spin quartet that put India on the global stage when cricket was dominated by England, Australia and the mighty West Indies. Purely as an athlete, Bedi was a writer's dream. His slow run up, followed by the flight and dip he created to deceive batters was one of a kind to say the least. If left-arm spin was an art, Bedi was a poet who mesmerised not just his teammates and spectators but also his opponents.
While his on-field achievement is a mounting legacy in itself, Bedi was so much more than that. He was a statesman, cut from a different cloth. As a captain, or a coach or a manager or even just as a former cricketer, he never failed from speaking the truth, whether it is the Indian cricket board (BCCI) or the DDCA (the state which he played for the longest time). His role in getting the players more remuneration was significant as well.
Bedi was rough outside, but inside in his heart he was generous. It is hard to keep count of the cricketers he has mentored and helped. There is one cricketer who is close to him. Former India cricketer Sunil Joshi is one such cricketer. For him Bedi was more than just a mentor. "I'm just speechless," says Joshi. "There are no words to express what the... my association with sir you cannot match with anything here. There is no match, his commitment towards me and the way he has imprinted certain art of spin bowling because nobody can do that."
It was so much more than just learning the art of spin bowling for several cricketers. A tough taskmaster, Bedi taught players how to treat each other with respect. "Respecting the people who really make an impact, the journalists across India and then the globe because I know that sir has always taught me to always respect each and everyone. It doesn't matter if they have a job to write something, they will write. It's you who can try and get better and those are the things, which he with shared me. I will always remember this," said the former left-arm spinner.
Joshi's favourite memory of Bedi was when he went to the former India captain before the 1998-99 South Africa tour. He was out of form and they worked together and reconstructed various areas of his bowling. "Even at that age, he was bowling,” he said. “That is the way he has demonstrated what he can do and what a coach should do or a mentor should do. Whatever you say, you need to deliver, then tell the player. See there are things people say that they may not demonstrate right? When you demonstrate the players understand. He did that.
"He has left such a huge legacy. In a left-arm spinner's career and life, whoever has come closer to him, whoever has interacted with him, they know the value of Bishen sir's existence in their life. It's very hard to express in words. Only when you feel it, then you get it," said Joshi.