Legendary Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi passes away aged 76

Former Indian spinner, Bishan Singh Bedi, died at the age of 76 on Monday in Delhi.

Bedi had been fighting with sickness for the last two years and had undergone multiple surgeries, including one on the knee about a month ago.

"The BCCI mourns the sad demise of former India Test Captain and legendary spinner, Bishan Singh Bedi. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and fans in these tough times. May his soul rest in peace," read an X post from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Recognised as one of the greatest left-arm spinners ever, Bedi represented India in 67 Tests and 10 ODIs during his 12-year-old long international career. At the time of his retirement, he was the highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket with 266 scalps to his name at an average of 28.71.

Bedi, along with Erapalli Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar and S. Venkataraghavan, formed one of the most lethal spin quartets in the history of Indian cricket, one that ended up revolutionising the art of spin bowling worldwide.

Bedi also captained the Blues in 22 Tests and also played India’s first-ever ODI against East Africa in 1975, where he bowled eight overs and gave away only six runs while taking a wicket, he also bowled eight maiden overs in the process.

He made his Test cricket debut in the 1696-70 Test series against Australia in which he announced himself to the world by taking 21 wickets. The astounding start made sure that Bedi never looked back and that’s exactly what he did.

Bedi then took 25 wickets against England, 18 against West Indies, 22 and 25 against England again, and 31 against Australia, leaving his mark as one of the greatest to ever hold the ball.

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