‘Sardar of Spin’ Bishan Singh Bedi was a fearless voice against injustice of any kind

“Knowing Bishan paaji from close range was the only way to know about the good things of life and cricket. I am often asked who the seniors were whom I admired. Bishan paaji tops the list. He never held himself back if he saw injustice. He was fearless. If he took a stand, it was because of certain beliefs and principles that marked his approach.” These were the words penned by India’s best all-rounder Kapil Dev a few years ago.

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The famous left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi who led India with distinction and took 266 wickets in 67 Test matches, would have been 80 years old today (September 25) if he had been alive. He passed away on October 23, 2023.

Bedi’s bowling used to be described by commentators as graceful and beautiful. Above all, it was full of guile, artistry and mystery for the batters. He was an expert at flighting the ball and was capable of making it hold back or hurry forward in a deceptive manner. His action was so relaxed and casual that he could bowl all day without getting tired.

Viv wished he was elsewhere when facing Indian spinners

In his autobiography titled “Hitting Across The Line”, the West Indian batting maestro Sir Vivian Richards has written about the sardar. “Bedi was impossible to read. I had to face all these spinners (Bedi, Prasanna, Chandra and Venkat) in my very first visit to India. I wished I was playing against Australia where I would have to face a pace attack. At least I would know what I was doing,” he wrote.

Against Indian spinners of this class Viv had to face the terror of unknown devils.

Bedi never bowled two balls in one over which were similar. There was extreme variation in spin, flight, direction and speed of the ball, wrote Vijay Merchant

Bedi’s best Test bowling was seven for 98 against Australia at Calcutta in 1969–70, and his best match figures were 10 for 194 at Perth in 1977–78, against Australia. His best first-class bowling was when he took seven wickets for only five runs for Delhi against Jammu and Kashmir at New Delhi 1974–75. His batting was poor but he scored an unbeaten half century once. It was scored against New Zealand in Kanpur in 1976.

Bedi never bowled two balls that were similar: Vijay Merchant

The legendary Vijay Merchant, who had witnessed Bedi’s game as a radio commentator, has written: “From behind the nets Bedi looked a completely different bowler than from the commentators’ box. He never bowled two balls in one over which were similar. There was extreme variation in spin, flight, direction and speed of the ball.

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“On a good wicket Bedi rarely flighted the ball. He harassed the batsmen by lowering the trajectory of the ball and directing it on exactly the right spot on the middle or middle-and-leg stump. In this respect he was totally different from my colleague Vinoo Manked who flighted the ball much more,” Merchant had written while analysing Bedi’s bowling.

Bishen Singh Bedi and Sunil Gavaskar

Bedi had mixed results as captain of India

As a captain, Bedi’s record was mixed. But in many ways, he was an underrated captain of India. Judging him purely by wins and losses would not do justice to the circumstances in which he led India. Bedi captained India in 22 Tests between 1975 and 1978, winning 6, losing 11 and drawing 5. The figures therefore don’t suggest an outstanding captaincy record.

But there are some important aspects that must be noted. Bedi captained India during a difficult era because he inherited the captaincy at a time when India were still developing from a team that relied heavily on spin into a more balanced international side.

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At that time Bedi was also leading against some formidable opponents. His 1975-76 West Indies tour is a good example. India lost the four-Test series 2–1, but Bedi himself took 18 wickets, while Chandrasekhar took 21. India were competing against the great West Indian side led by Clive Lloyd. There was the infamous incident of Bedi calling it quits after most of the Indian batters were hurt in the 4th Test at Sabina Park. Following India’s record-breaking run-chase in the previous Test, the West Indies unleashed an aggressive, hostile fast-bowling attack using a heavy barrage of short-pitched bowling.

Bishen Singh Bedi called it quits after most of the Indian batters were hurt in the 4th Test at Sabina Park. He did not want to risk his lower order batters getting injured

In India’s first innings, Anshuman Gaekwad and Brijesh Patel were forced to retire hurt after receiving severe blows to the ear and mouth. When India batted in the second innings and slumped to 97 for 5, Bedi called a halt to the innings. He had multiple batters unable to bat due to injuries sustained earlier. Along with that he and Bhagwath Chandrasekhar picked up injuries while fielding, resulting in a total of five Indian batters recorded as “absent hurt”. That effectively ended the match then and there.

But later came one of Bedi’s finest achievements as captain: the 1976-77 series against New Zealand. India won 2–0, and Bedi took 22 wickets in the three Tests. However, perhaps the most impressive part of Bedi’s captaincy was India’s tour of Australia in 1977-78. India lost the five-Test series 3–2, but winning two Tests in Australia was a considerable achievement for an Indian side of that period.

Fearless Bedi had an overwhelming influence on my game: Kirti Azad

But Bishan Bedi was not just a great cricketer. He spoke out when he saw any malpractice in Indian cricket. In a book titled Sardar Of Spin, the former BJP member of parliament Kirti Azad who was also an international cricketer, has written: “Bishan paaji taught us the virtues of truth and morality.”

“Bishan paaji has had an overwhelming influence on my game and on my personality. Much of what I have achieved has been because of him. He has lived his life on his own terms. But never once did he talk in a petty manner. His attitude was that of a large hearted sardar. But at the same time, he did not care for niceties when dealing with crooked administrators,” Azad has written.

Bishen Singh Bedi with former India captain Anjum Chopra. Pic: PTI

Bedi’s tussles with former union minister and political heavyweight Arun Jaitley are well known. Jaitley was then the chief of Delhi cricket (DDCA). Bedi accused the latter of turning a blind eye to high level corruption in the game within his jurisdiction. None of the present-day cricketers have the guts to open their mouths. Today that lone brave voice can be heard no more. India misses the Sardar of Spin.