Legendary left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi’s demise comes as a big shock and his passing away is an irreparable loss to the world of cricket. From the bylanes of Amritsar to the Indian cricket team, Bedi forged his way into cricketing folklore by becoming a part of the famed spin quartet, which was a revolution of sorts in India’s spin bowling history. While Bedi was known as the magician of left-arm spin bowling, who could make the ball hold or hurry at will as it traversed the winding arcs in the air, he was equally well known for his benignity and a human being par excellence.
Ten years ago, When I had the opportunity to interact with Bedi for a few minutes during his address at the Nani Palkhivala Memorial Lecture in Chennai, the bowling genius was candid in his views about the IPL and said he totally disliked it as he felt that it tampers with the purity of the game, and made no bones about expressing his disapproval of the shenanigans associated with it. Bedi vehemently opposed politics entering into cricket in any form. And no surprise, when the idea of erecting a statue for the former and late Finance Minister, and DDCA president Arun Jaitley at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium was broached, Bedi gave up his DDCA membership and firmly suggested his name be removed from the Kotla stand. Bedi remains an esteemed figure in Indian cricket, celebrated for his artistry, and for his unflinching passion and dedication towards the game. It is a gift of our times that the legendary spinner graced the game across the globe.
Ranganathan Sivakumar
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