OTD: Bishan Singh Bedi was born in 1946

Bishan Singh Bedi, one of India’s most famous cricket players, was born in Amritsar on this day in 1946. Bedi, who is renowned for his exquisite spin bowling, was essential to the heyday of Indian cricket. He took 266 wickets in 67 Test matches, including 14 five-wicket hauls and one incredible 10-wicket haul.

He joined Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and Srinivas Venkataraghavan in the illustrious quartet of spinners, which influenced India’s bowling attack from 1966 to 1978, because of his exceptional control and skill.

He also played 10 ODIs, taking seven wickets, including the best of 2/44. He holds the record for one of the most economical bowling spells in ODIs. He bowled 12 overs for India against East Africa, out of which eight overs were maiden. He conceded only six runs and took one wicket at an economy of 0.50.

To the dismay of some, he was quite opinionated and had a strong sense of right and wrong. After his playing days were over in 1978, Bedi continued to be related to cricket as a national selector and was the manager of the Indian team in 1990 on tours of New Zealand and England.

Many up-and-coming spinners, like Maninder Singh and Murali Kartik, looked up to him as mentor because of his extensive technical understanding of the game. During his tenure as captain of the Delhi Ranji squad from 1974 to 1982, Bedi showed his leadership skills and cricket acumen by turning the side into a formidable force in Indian domestic cricket.

After a protracted illness, Bedi passed away at home on October 23, 2023, but he left a lasting legacy as one of cricket’s greatest left-arm spinners and one of its most outspoken critics.

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