Bishan Singh Bedi, the cricket legend of India, passed away on Monday at the age of 77, after a prolonged illness. Bishan, who made his Test debut in December 1967 boasts of a phenomenal record in first-class cricket taking 1560 wickets from 370 matches including 106 five-wicket hauls and 20 10-wicket hauls. Amid the condolences pouring in, Shah Rukh Khan penned a heart-wrenching tribute for the late legend.
On Monday, Shah Rukh Khan took to his X(formerly Twitter) handle and thanked Bishen Singh Bedi for imparting lessons on sports and life. The Jawan actor penned, “Growing up our lives are moulded by the spirit, the gusto and sheer grace of people who we see and experience around us. Mr. #BishanSinghBedi was one of them. May God bless his soul & thank u Sir for teaching us so much about sports & life. You will be missed immensely. RIP.”
Growing up our lives are moulded by the spirit, the gusto and sheer grace of people who we see and experience around us. Mr. #BishanSinghBedi was one of them. May God bless his soul & thank u Sir for teaching us so much about sports & life. You will be missed immensely. RIP— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) October 23, 2023
Bishan, who made his Test debut in December 1967, went on to captain India in 22 Tests as well. He succeeded Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi into the role. He is credited with revolutionising the art of spin bowling forming a lethal partnership with Erapalli Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar and S. Venkataraghavan. Known for his mastery over flight and turn, Bedi would consistently outfox batters with his clever variations.
Bedi was briefly the manager of the Indian cricket team in 1990 during tours of New Zealand and England. He was also a national selector and mentor to many talented spinners like Maninder Singh and Murali Kartik, who all swore by his technical insight. Bedi also made the headlines for his strong opinions on various issues concerning cricket. He didn’t shy away from criticising high-profile cricketers, raising questions over the legitimacy of Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action.
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar had huge respect for the bowling icon. “Bishan paaji was ahead of the times in terms of preparing us for the matches. The nets were conducted in a serious manner, and he would, many a time, join by bowling to the batsmen. Fiercely competitive, he would challenge the batsman to step out or hit him to a specific target. It was a great sight when he won those battles. I had the privilege of facing him in the nets and it was evident that he was still working on setting up a batsman, and I had to be at my absolute best while facing him,” Tendulkar wrote in the book titled The Sardar Of Spin.
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