Former Indian cricketer, regarded as one of the best spin bowlers, former captain and Indian team manager Bishan Singh Bedi has passed away at 77 years, news agency PTI reported on Monday. Born in Amritsar on September 25, 1946, Bedi debuted for the Indian team in a test match against West Indies at Eden Gardens on December 31, 1966.
His one-day international (ODI) debut was against England at Headingley on July 13, 1974. After playing his last test match for the team on August 30, 1979, Bedi moved to Delhi and represented them till his retirement in 1981.
Bedi played 67 test matches for India between 1967 and 1979 and picked 266 wickets. He also took seven wickets in 10 ODIs.
His best match figures of 10/194 came against Australia at Perth in 1978-79. His overall average was 28.71. In the 1977-78 series, down under, Bedi picked up 31 wickets with an average of 23.87 runs.
Bedi succeeded Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to become the captain of the Indian cricket team in 1976.
Later, in 1990, Bedi was appointed the first full-time manager of the Indian cricket team. However, after a disastrous tour, he made a controversial comment when he said the Indian team deserved to be dumped in the Pacific Ocean.
Bedi made his Bollywood debut in “Ghoomer”. The movie also featured his son, Angad Bedi.
