Bishan Singh Bedi
Encyclopedia
Bishan Singh Bedi (born 25 September 1946) is a former Indian
cricket
er who was primarily a slow left-arm orthodox
bowler. He played Test cricket
for India
from 1966 to 1979 and formed part of the famous Indian spin quartet
. He also captained
the national side in 22 Test matches. Bedi is also famous for always wearing a colourful patka
and his outspoken and forthright views on cricketing matters.
when only fifteen, having taking up cricket only two years previously, a particularly late age for this sport. He moved to Delhi
in 1968–69 and in the 1974–75 season of the Ranji Trophy
, he took a record 64 wickets. Bedi also represented Northamptonshire
in English county cricket
for many years. He finished his career with 1560 wickets in first-class cricket
— more than any other Indian.
His bowling has been described as graceful, even beautiful, and full of guile and artistry. He was at expert in flighting
the ball, and was capable of making it hold it back or hurry forward and added subtle variations of spin. His action was so relaxed and co-ordinated that he was able to bowl all day with rhythm and control, a great asset to any captain. He had several very successful Test series:
His best Test bowling was 7/98 against Australia at Calcutta in 1969–70, and his best match figures 10/194 at Perth in 1978–79, also against Australia. His best first class bowling was 7/5 for Delhi vs Jammu and Kashmir at New Delhi 1974–75. Although his batting was poor he hit a boundary off the second last ball in the Gillette Cup Semi Final for Northamptonshire vs Hampshire, winning the match by two wickets. His highest score of 50 not out, his only half century at Test level, was scored against New Zealand in Kanpur in 1976.
Bedi was appointed captain of India in 1976 succeeding Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
. His first Test victory as captain was against the West Indies
at Port-of-Spain in the 3rd Test of the 1976 series in which India scored a then-record 406 in the fourth innings. This was followed up by a 2–0 series victory over New Zealand at home. However, after successive Test series losses to England (3–1 at home), Australia (3–2 away) and Pakistan (2–0 away), he was replaced as captain by Sunil Gavaskar
.
In 2008, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
named Bedi as one of the five best cricketers to have not been selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.
He said that he has always washed his own clothes, calling it "the best exercise for your shoulders and fingers", when pointing out that spin bowling requires suppleness of limbs
Following India's record-breaking run-chase in the 3rd Test of the 1976 series against the West Indies, the West Indies opted for an aggressive four-man fast bowler
attack for the 4th Test. Bedi objected to their tactics, which he regarded as intimidatory, and declared
the Indian first innings closed early after two players were forced to retire hurt. Subsequently, five players were absent hurt in the second innings of the match.
Vaseline incident
- In England's tour of India in 1976–77 he accused John Lever
of using Vaseline
to illegally polish the ball in the Third Test at Madras. Lever wore Vaseline strips on his forehead to keep the sweat out of his eyes, but was subsequently cleared of any wrong-doing.
In November 1978, he became the first captain to concede an international cricket match. In a One Day International against Pakistan at Sahiwal, India, with 8 wickets in hand, only required 23 runs from 14 balls. Bedi, however, recalled the batsmen from the crease and conceded the match in protest at the bowling of Sarfraz Nawaz
who had bowled 4 bouncers
in succession with not one being called wide by the umpires.
("if Murali doesn't chuck, then show me how to bowl" ) which he bluntly refers to as cheating and likens to a javelin throw and more recently, shot putting, saying that Muralitharan "will complete 1000 Test wickets but they would count as mere run-outs in my eyes". He takes a very dim view of chucking, which he calls "a bigger threat than bribing and betting" and claimed in 2004 that many bowlers on the subcontinent chuck, calling Muralitharan a "Sri Lankan bandit closing in on a dream artist called Shane Warne". He has stated, though, that he has nothing personal against Muralitharan, although Muralitharan has threatened to sue him. Recently he has echoed the same criticisms against his countryman, Harbhajan Singh
. Regarding suspect actions in cricket, he said "When a bowler is chucking, he's referred to panels and the home cricket board. Why not do the same for a wide or no-ball, then?". He has accused one-day cricket, modern cricket bats and small grounds of causing a decline in classical spin bowling in India.
He has also attacked Sunil Gavaskar
, calling him "a destructive influence". He said to Australian coach John Buchanan "Tell us, John, have you made this Australian team great, or have they made you?"
More recently, Bedi has referred to T20 cricket as "the most vulgar expression of cricket".
played cricket up to Under-19 level for Delhi before taking up a career in modelling and acting.
Indian people
Indian people or Indisians constitute the Asian nation and pan-ethnic group native to India, which forms the south of Asia, containing 17.31% of the world's population. The Indian nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the rich and complex history of India...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who was primarily a slow left-arm orthodox
Left-arm orthodox spin
Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch...
bowler. He played Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
for India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
from 1966 to 1979 and formed part of the famous Indian spin quartet
Indian spin quartet
The Indian spin quartet is the collective name given to the Indian spin bowlers of the 1960s and 70s: Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan , Bhagwat Chandrasekhar , and Bishen Singh Bedi . Between them, they played 231 Test matches taking 853 wickets...
. He also captained
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
the national side in 22 Test matches. Bedi is also famous for always wearing a colourful patka
Pátka
- External links :*...
and his outspoken and forthright views on cricketing matters.
Playing career
In Indian domestic cricket, Bedi first played for Northern PunjabNorthern Punjab cricket team
The Northern Punjab cricket team was an Indian domestic cricket team representing the northern part of the Indian state of Punjab during the time of the British Raj and later the northern part of its Indian successor, following the partition of India. The team first played first-class cricket in...
when only fifteen, having taking up cricket only two years previously, a particularly late age for this sport. He moved to Delhi
Delhi cricket team
The Delhi cricket team is one of the first-class cricket teams, that plays in India's domestic competition, the Ranji Trophy. They have won the tournament seven times and have been runners-up seven. Their latest title in 2007-08 came after a long wait of 16 years. The previous win was in the...
in 1968–69 and in the 1974–75 season of the Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
, he took a record 64 wickets. Bedi also represented Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
in English county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
for many years. He finished his career with 1560 wickets in first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
— more than any other Indian.
His bowling has been described as graceful, even beautiful, and full of guile and artistry. He was at expert in flighting
Flighting (cricket)
Flighting the ball is when a bowler in cricket deceives the batsman with subtle changes in the speed of delivery using almost identical bowling actions. This is almost always used by slow bowlers, as it requires the ball to be pushed forward or dropped short by looping the ball in the air. Wilfred...
the ball, and was capable of making it hold it back or hurry forward and added subtle variations of spin. His action was so relaxed and co-ordinated that he was able to bowl all day with rhythm and control, a great asset to any captain. He had several very successful Test series:
- India vs Australia 1969–70: 21 wickets at 20.57
- India vs England 1972–73: 25 wickets at 25.28
- India in the West Indies: 18 wickets at 25.33
- India vs New Zealand 1976–77: 22 wickets at 13.18
- India vs England 1976–77: 25 wickets at 22.96
- India in Australia 1977–78: 31 wickets at 23.87
His best Test bowling was 7/98 against Australia at Calcutta in 1969–70, and his best match figures 10/194 at Perth in 1978–79, also against Australia. His best first class bowling was 7/5 for Delhi vs Jammu and Kashmir at New Delhi 1974–75. Although his batting was poor he hit a boundary off the second last ball in the Gillette Cup Semi Final for Northamptonshire vs Hampshire, winning the match by two wickets. His highest score of 50 not out, his only half century at Test level, was scored against New Zealand in Kanpur in 1976.
Bedi was appointed captain of India in 1976 succeeding Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
Mansoor Ali Khan or Mansur Ali Khan , sometimes M.A.K. Pataudi , nicknamed Tiger Pataudi, was an Indian cricketer and former captain of the Indian cricket team...
. His first Test victory as captain was against the West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
at Port-of-Spain in the 3rd Test of the 1976 series in which India scored a then-record 406 in the fourth innings. This was followed up by a 2–0 series victory over New Zealand at home. However, after successive Test series losses to England (3–1 at home), Australia (3–2 away) and Pakistan (2–0 away), he was replaced as captain by Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
.
In 2008, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
named Bedi as one of the five best cricketers to have not been selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.
He said that he has always washed his own clothes, calling it "the best exercise for your shoulders and fingers", when pointing out that spin bowling requires suppleness of limbs
Controversy
As captain of India, Bedi's personality inevitably led to some controversies.Following India's record-breaking run-chase in the 3rd Test of the 1976 series against the West Indies, the West Indies opted for an aggressive four-man fast bowler
Pace
Pace may refer to:*Pace , the speed at which movement occurs*Pace , a unit of length*"Peace" in Italian, sometimes written on a rainbow flag...
attack for the 4th Test. Bedi objected to their tactics, which he regarded as intimidatory, and declared
Declaration and forfeiture
In the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
the Indian first innings closed early after two players were forced to retire hurt. Subsequently, five players were absent hurt in the second innings of the match.
Vaseline incident
Vaseline incident
Vaseline incident was one of the first publicised 'doctoring' of the cricket ball by a bowler, when John Lever reportedly rubbed vaseline onto one side of the ball so it would swing better....
- In England's tour of India in 1976–77 he accused John Lever
John Lever
John Lever MBE is an English former cricketer, who played in twenty one Tests and twenty two ODIs for England from 1976 to 1986...
of using Vaseline
Vaseline
Vaseline is a brand of petroleum jelly based products owned by Anglo-Dutch company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, soaps, lotions, cleansers, deodorants and personal lubricants....
to illegally polish the ball in the Third Test at Madras. Lever wore Vaseline strips on his forehead to keep the sweat out of his eyes, but was subsequently cleared of any wrong-doing.
In November 1978, he became the first captain to concede an international cricket match. In a One Day International against Pakistan at Sahiwal, India, with 8 wickets in hand, only required 23 runs from 14 balls. Bedi, however, recalled the batsmen from the crease and conceded the match in protest at the bowling of Sarfraz Nawaz
Sarfraz Nawaz
Sarfraz Nawaz Malik is a former Pakistani Test cricketer and politician who discovered reverse swing and was instrumental in Pakistan's first Test series victories over India and England. Between 1969 and 1984 he played 55 Tests and 45 One Day Internationals and was Imran Khan's regular new ball...
who had bowled 4 bouncers
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
in succession with not one being called wide by the umpires.
Coaching
In 1990, he had a brief stint as coach of the Indian national team. He was the first person to be appointed to this job in a full-time capacity. Following one cricket tour where India had played poorly, he threatened to dump the entire team in the sea on the return journey.Opinions on modern day cricket
Bedi has expressed strong opinions on many aspects of modern day cricket and has been described as "rarely afraid to speak his mind". In particular, he is a vehement critic of the bowling action of Muttiah MuralitharanMuttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
("if Murali doesn't chuck, then show me how to bowl" ) which he bluntly refers to as cheating and likens to a javelin throw and more recently, shot putting, saying that Muralitharan "will complete 1000 Test wickets but they would count as mere run-outs in my eyes". He takes a very dim view of chucking, which he calls "a bigger threat than bribing and betting" and claimed in 2004 that many bowlers on the subcontinent chuck, calling Muralitharan a "Sri Lankan bandit closing in on a dream artist called Shane Warne". He has stated, though, that he has nothing personal against Muralitharan, although Muralitharan has threatened to sue him. Recently he has echoed the same criticisms against his countryman, Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Plaha , commonly known as Harbhajan Singh, is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan....
. Regarding suspect actions in cricket, he said "When a bowler is chucking, he's referred to panels and the home cricket board. Why not do the same for a wide or no-ball, then?". He has accused one-day cricket, modern cricket bats and small grounds of causing a decline in classical spin bowling in India.
He has also attacked Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
, calling him "a destructive influence". He said to Australian coach John Buchanan "Tell us, John, have you made this Australian team great, or have they made you?"
More recently, Bedi has referred to T20 cricket as "the most vulgar expression of cricket".
Personal life
His son, Angad BediAngad Bedi
Angad Singh Bedi is an Indian actor, model, and a cricketer for Delhi. He bats right-handed, and his bowling style is slow left-arm orthodox.-Career:...
played cricket up to Under-19 level for Delhi before taking up a career in modelling and acting.