Former India captain and one of the greatest left-arm spinners to ever grace the game, Bishan Singh Bedi died on October 23 at the age of 77 after battling a prolonged illness. He is survived by his wife Anju, son Angad, and daughter Neha.
Bedi was born and brought up in Amritsar where he also did his early education. Bedi's old house still exists in Amritsar.
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Ranbir Singh Mahendra and Bedi’s friend mourning the legendary spinner as he recalled his college days.
“It is a great loss to the world of cricket and it is a personal loss for me. His dedication to the game was apparent right from the Law College, Chandigarh days where we had adjoining rooms in the hostel. He was blessed with a sense of humour that was at par with his immense cricketing talent,” Mahendra said.
“He lived his life the way he played his cricket and the cricketing world is poorer today with his passing. I pray to the Almighty to bless his soul and give the family the strength in these difficult times.”
Bedi played 67 Tests for India and took 266 wickets with 14 five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul.
He was part of Indian cricket's golden quartet of spinners, whose other members were Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and Srinivas Venkataraghavan.
The four made the core of India's bowling unit for more than a decade between 1966 and 1978.
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 was one of the most admired Indian captains and he led the team for nearly four years in Test cricket between 1975 and 1979 after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's retirement.
With inputs from PTI
MORE ON SPORTS TAK
Asian Para Games 2023: India shines on Opening Day with 17 medals as shooters, athletes lead the charge once again
'I have lost my closest friend on the other side of border': Pakistan's Intikhab Alam mourns Bishan Singh Bedi's death
